Blood relatives: Family bound by love and rare blood disorder

Tracy Antonelli was 4 when she was diagnosed with thalassemia, a rare blood disorder that occurs often enough in Mediterranean countries like Italy that an old adage, uttered only partially in jest, warns Italian-Americans against marrying other Italian-Americans. In 2002, Tracy wed Patrick Mooty, whose background is mostly Irish. Their three daughters — 7-year-old Emmilene, 6-year-old Rosalie and 3-year-old Francesca — all have thalassemia, but not through the accident of the couple’s genetics. Tracy and Patrick adopted the girls from China, specifically because they, too, have the potentially life-threatening disease, which, according to conservative estimates, occurs in about 10,000 pregnancies a year in China and about 600 a year in the United States. “This is the most rewarding, perfect experience I’ve had in my life,” says Tracy. In mother and daughters, their bodies do not make enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Their disease is severe enough that their lives depend on the blood transfusions they receive every three weeks and daily medication to prevent iron overload. Tracy calls it a “cumbersome but manageable” way to keep herself and her daughters healthy. “When people think of blood transfusions, they think about car accidents or surgery or to complement treatments like chemotherapy,” she says.  “People like us need constant regular transfusions just to live.” Every 21 days, the three young girls sit side by side for hours in an ou...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories adoption china Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Dr. Daniel Bauer thalassemia Source Type: news