Thanks to the Chiropractic Profession

By John Cerf, DC

Several months ago, I asked the chiropractic profession to help my 3-year-old nephew, Aiden, who was suffering from a rare life-threatening blood disorder called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

During the nine months it took doctors to diagnose Aiden, most children with the disease already would have died. The only chance Aiden had was to have a life-saving bone marrow transplantation.

At the time, there were no matches in an international database that included more than 5 million potential donors. However, the number of chiropractors from both the United States and around the world who came forward to be tested and make donations was simply overwhelming. In fact, the donor coordinator had to make a special folder specifically for the inquiries of chiropractors.

Due to the overwhelming response, a donor was found. Aiden had the transplantation. He was scheduled for 100 days of isolation to prevent infection, while all waited to see if a graft-vs.-host disease would develop. A few days after Aiden's 4^th birthday and 50 days post-transplantation, testing demonstrated that 100 percent of his diseased marrow had been replaced by the donor's marrow. While Aiden is not completely out of the woods, a cure is in sight.

Aiden's doctors recently allowed him to go home early from his hospital isolation. "Mommy, can you hear the birds?" Aiden asked his mother on the way home. Upon getting out of the car, the grateful 4-year-old exclaimed how good the sun felt on his face, and then ran straight for the swing set.

Aiden's donor insisted on remaining anonymous. It doesn't matter if the donor was a chiropractor, because all those who were tested, donated, or offered their thoughts and prayers contributed to Aiden's recovery and should consider themselves heroes. The chiropractic profession has much to be proud of for their contribution to this miracle.

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