Brave toddler meets 24 strangers who saved her life

It took a team of UCLA medical professionals and the generosity of 71 strangers to save 2-year-old Skye Savren-McCormick ’s life.The toddler from Ventura, California, required frequent blood and platelet transfusions, often on a daily basis, while undergoing  three grueling bone-marrow transplants, surgery to remove her swollen spleen and seven rounds of chemotherapy for leukemia and lymphoma. She received 77 units of blood and platelets during a 10-month stay at UCLA Mattel Children ’s Hospital.  Recently Skye ’s family got to meet and thank two dozen of the 71 strangers whose blood and platelet donations sustained their toddler’s life during her fight with two rare types of cancer. The introduction took place at a special luncheon organized by the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center.Doctors initially diagnosed Skye with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, which strikes only one in 1 million children. She later developed lymphoma in her eyelid after her second transplant.Cancer prevented Skye ’s body from producing enough blood cells and platelets to transport oxygen to her organs, fight infection and foster healing. Her parents, Kevin and Talia Savren-McCormick, thanked the rapt audience and referred to their donations as “life in a bag.”“Each time Skye received a transfusion, it was like life had been breathed back into her,” Talia Savren-McCormick said. “You provided Skye with a powerful bridge toward health until she was strong enough to undergo treatme...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news