Special request

JHough · Post by **JHough** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:13 pm

A friend of mine and my husband's sent us a email a while back about a friend of her's whose little boy has a very rare illness and was needing a transplant of stem cells from his brother (they were a match). He had the transplant last week and is doing ok. He is experiencing the normal side effects to the transplant. Anyway, the point of this message is to ask people to send him postcards. He and his mom are trying to see how many states they can get postcards from. They would also like some from other countries is you know anyone in other countries. Here is a link to his website. http://www.caringbridge.org/la/coleson/ He is the little boy with the hair spiked in the front. Be sure to read the past journal entries. They have some friends that are taking up money to build him (and his brothers) the big ship playground that is on the top of his website. For that they are asking if people will send a dollar bill. The postcard is the most important to them though, just to know that people are praying for his recovery and cure from this illness.

Here is the original email that was sent to us. I didn't post the pics on here because they are on the website. A lot has changed since this email I just wanted to give you some background on what he has.

The following is a picture of my former Sunday School teachers at 1st Baptist Church in Minden, LA, and their three boys (Alan & Yvette Shaw w/ Cade, Cameron & Coleson). The youngest child, Coleson (in the middle of the picture), is six years old and was diagnosed shortly after he was born with an extremely rare blood disorder called Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) (only about 700 cases worldwide). His body does not produce red blood cells. Since he was 2-months old, he has had monthly blood transfusions and nightly 10-hr Desserel treatments to stop the iron build-up in his organs, especially his liver, that occurs from living off of other people’s blood. He cannot live forever like this, and the only cure for DBA is a bone marrow transplant using a sibling match. The entire family has had numerous intense screenings and tests, and through God’s grace and mercy, their oldest child, Cade, was identified as a sibling match for the transplant. This type of transplant is different from the type done on Leukemia patients and is extremely risky. The research on this disease has been limited because of lack of funding and the success rate of transplants was not very high a few years ago. The success rate has risen from around 10% when Coleson was born, to 94% now. Alan and Yvette have prayed and waited on the Lord for guidance and wisdom as to when the right time would be to proceed with a bone marrow transplant for Coleson (they have known for 2 years that their oldest son was a match for a bone marrow transplant). The time has come. There are two outcomes with this transplant—Coleson will either be completely healed of DBA or he will die in the transplant process. Alan and Yvette have turned this situation over to God and are checking in to Children’s Hospital on June 25th to proceed with the transplant. He will have 8 days of chemotherapy then the transplant will occur on July 5th.

Thanks ahead of time to any of you who take the few minutes to send him a postcard.

Jessica

Windkist · Post by **Windkist** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:22 pm

he'll be getting a postcard from Utah and a dollar bill for sure ;-)

Leah

JHough · Post by **JHough** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:23 pm

Thanks Leah.

The playground is to help encourage him to go outside and play once he is able to go back home. The drs say it will be best for him to be outside with good clean air rather than cramped up inside. He will have to be in isolation for the next 6 months. When he gets to go back home if anyone in his family gets sick either he or them have to leave. He has no immune system right now, so no way to fight off germs.

Jessica

danny vansickle · Post by **danny vansickle** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:38 pm

WHERE DO YOU SEND THE POSTCARD AND DOLLAR?

I SAW A ADRESS FOR THE HOSPITAL,IS THAT WHERE WE SEND IT?

LET US KNOW,WILL SEND HIM A POSTCARD AND A BUCK FROM A BUCKEYE

JHough · Post by **JHough** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:05 am

Same address that it has for the hospital.

This is how mine was addressed:

Texas Children's Hospital
Patient Room: 8th Floow BMT
Coleson Shaw
6621 Fannin St
Houston, TX 77030-2399

good-dog · Post by **good-dog** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 11:32 am

He has my prayers, and post card from; Ontario Canada

God Bless.

FST TRAC · Post by **FST TRAC** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 6:29 am

He'll be gettin a post card from FST TRAC KENNELS IN GEORGIA as well and our prayers sent also
your friend
FST TRAC