Julian and his Family’s Trial with P.I.
By: Dana Ewachow
Gina shows me a scrapbook she’s made of her son Julian when he was two years old. This scrapbook is different from the average family album; the photos are adjacent to long lists of medications. In the photos, Julian is smiling sweetly, his cheeks puffy from a reaction to the drugs. The scrapbook was made to commemorate his battle with primary immunodeficiency. Gina admits that she did it for Julian, who is now eight years old. “He has the right to know,” she says. “Look at where he’s been. Look at where he’s at now.”
When Julian was 18 months old he was diagnosed with the rare immune condition CGD (Chronic Granulomatous Disease). He was admitted to Sick Kids Hospital for seven months to conduct a multitude of tests. After a tense two-hour meeting with a board of doctors, it was decided that he would be set up for a bone marrow transplant. His then seven-year old sister, Alyssa, was a complete match. This was a lucky break for the family, because there is smaller chance of having complications with a transplant with a sibling donor than with an “outside” donor. On September 8th, the day of the transplant, Gina found herself running between the 2nd floor to see Alyssa and the 4th to see Julian.
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