The Best Of Celebrities In 2009!
Sep 3, 2009 5:55 pm US/Eastern
Teen Cured Of Sickle Cell Disease
Doctors Performed A Bone Marrow Transplant
His Brother's Bone Marrow Was A Perfect Match
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Travis Washington is seen here receiving a bone marrow transplant.
Courtesy JMH
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Trevis, right, donated his bone marrow to help cure his brother Travis, left, of Sickle Cell Disease.
Courtesy JMH
In just 18 years of life, Travis Washington has endured a lifetime of suffering.
When he was just two weeks old, Travis was diagnosed with sickle cell disease.
"The disease is a horrible disease," Doctor Daniel Armstrong explained. "It deforms the blood cells and causes all kinds of disruption in the body."
For Travis, it has meant suffering two strokes and going through brain surgery. The Palm Beach County teen remains partially paralyzed, but is now free of sickle cell.
Doctors say thanks to a bone marrow transplantation, he has been cured of that illness. But it has been a long road toward recovery for the 18-year-old.
A lot of credit goes to his younger brother Trevis, 17, who gave him a bone marrow transplant.
CBS4's Jim Berry asked Travis how he felt about his brother's unselfish act.
"Are you proud of him?" Berry asked.
"Yes," he answered quietly. "I feel good."
His mother is also grateful.
"I'm so numb," his mother Shirley Armbrister said."This really was our last hope."
For months, he received a variety of therapies including physical, occupational and speech. He was fortunate to recover fully and he received blood transfusions monthly to prevent another stroke.
But his problems were far from over. In 2006, he suffered a massive stoke causing permanent damage to the right side of his brain leaving him partially paralyzed.
The following year, he developed a rare disease known as Moyamoya syndrome that constricts blood flow in the brain leading to strokes and seizures. Travis, of Palm Beach, was referred to doctors at Holtz Children's Hospital at the UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
That's where in January of 2008, he underwent a six-hour brain surgery to prevent additional strokes.
His doctor – Martin Andreansky, M.D., Ph.D. – the director of the pediatric bone marrow transplant at Holtz evaluated him to see if he was a candidate for a bone marrow transplant. One of his brothers turned out to be a perfect match.
On August 5th, Dr. Andreansky performed a successful procedure, which replaced Travis unhealthy cells with healthy stem cells from his brother's bone marrow. Since this transplant is somewhat risky, only the sickest sickle cell patients are even considered for it.
Doctors hope bone marrow transplants soon become more common to cure sickle cell patients.
"He's not really had a normal life," said Trevis, who took time away from his football team to help his brother.
They also hope the treatment can be expanded to those not lucky enough to have a donor who is a perfect match.
"I'm so grateful to everyone here at Jackson Memorial Hospital for making this possible," said Travis' mom.
These brothers have some future plans. Trevis hopes to get back to playing high school football. And Travis, hopes to get well enough to ride a dirt bike.
Thanks to his doctors and his brother, he could someday get that chance.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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