MERIDIAN, Idaho — In July of 2023, a 10-week old Meridian baby, Jackson Field, was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and required a bone marrow transplant. As of Nov. 9, he has received that bone marrow transplant, from a donor in Germany, per the family.
Though there is a long road to recovery, Jackson's mother Mariah said he is doing well. They will spend 100 days in Salt Lake City, where Jackson is getting care.
HLH is an immune deficiency disorder occurs in about one in 50,000 children, according to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
It was on Memorial Day weekend in 2023 that parents Mariah and Zach Field felt there something was wrong with their newborn.
"He was looking yellow - is really kind of what set it off for us, and that can be common in newborns," Mariah said. "But for some reason, our instincts were just telling us something isn't right here."
After taking the baby to the pediatrician, they were referred to the emergency room at St. Luke's Children's in Boise. "We went to the ER, we were thinking maybe they'll give him some antibiotics. Maybe he has some sort of infection or something," Mariah said. "We would have never imagined it would be this."
It was at the ER that they discovered baby Jackson was suffering from HLH, which can lead to organ failure if left untreated.
"Jackson's immune system was triggered to turn on by something unknown at this point. And once it's triggered to turn on, it won't turn off," Mariah said. "So, his body very aggressively attacks the infection, but then also continues to attack itself. So what it will do is, it'll attack his liver and spleen."
Jackson is now being treated at a hospital in Salt Lake City, where he and his family will spend the next 100 days, as Jackson recovers from the transplant and faces the side effects of chemotherapy, said his mother.
After an extensive search for a donor through BeTheMatch.org, the family found a 10 out of 10 match for Jackson, all the way from Germany.
There has been a GoFundMe page set up by the family to help pay for Jackson's medical bills as well as expenses that the family has taking on to stay in Salt Lake City.
People can find more information about becoming a bone marrow donor at BeTheMatch.org.
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