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Mother Knows Best

Marissa Amuso

Call it a mother’s intuition. Kim Amuso, of Rome, NY knew that something was wrong with her daughter, Marissa, despite doctors assuring her that everything was fine. One day, when Marissa was just six-years-old, her mother discovered some large bruises on her arm, but Marissa had no other sign of injury or symptom of illness. They made a visit to the doctor for a diagnosis, but nothing was found.

A year later, Marissa developed another bruise, this time on her back. Once again, Kim became suspicious. “I knew that Marissa had not fallen or bumped into anything,” she said. “To receive a large bruise would have hurt and any child would have cried when it happened. You would know if your child received a bruise that large.” Again they went to the doctor, and again they we were given the same reassurances.

Another year passed and one night, Marissa went to bed looking fine. The next morning was a different story. “Her knees were perfectly fine when she went to bed and then by the time she woke up she had three-inch bruises on both them.” This time, Marissa went to University Hospital in Syracuse where she underwent blood work. The news was not good. Three key blood cell levels – red cells, white cells, and platelets – were low, and the doctors began to suspect aplastic anemia. Marissa underwent a bone marrow biopsy to confirm her parents’ worst fears. Just shy of her eighth birthday, Marissa was diagnosed with aplastic anemia.

Aplastic anemia is a rare, life-threatening disorder that results from the unexplained failure of the bone marrow to produce blood cells. Patients with aplastic anemia typically have low blood cell counts in all three blood lines and the bone marrow is said to be hypoplastic or aplastic, meaning low growth or no growth of blood-forming stem cells. Due to the body’s failure to produce enough new blood cells, patients with aplastic anemia are at an increased risk for infection and uncontrolled bleeding.

Treatment for aplastic anemia may involve antibiotics, blood transfusions, immunosuppressive drugs, and for those patients who have a matched donor, a bone marrow transplant. Marissa has participated in clinical trials for immunosuppressive drugs at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and she has received innumerable blood product transfusions. A bone marrow transplant is not an option for Marissa, as she doe not have a donor who is a match.

Now 14-years-old, Marissa is still receiving blood transfusions. Each week she goes for blood work to test her red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet counts. If they are low, she receives a transfusion of the needed blood component. Sometimes it may just be red blood cells, at other times just platelets, or still at times, all three. The time between transfusions can vary between a couple of weeks to six months.

Since Marissa's diagnosis, Kim has become a committed blood donor and an advocate for blood donation. “I became a blood donor because I wanted give back,” said Kim. She also is a tireless champion of blood donation, spreading the word about the need and benefits to family, friends, co-workers, and anyone else she comes across. “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all donors who take time out of their busy schedule to make a donation. Without these donors, where would Marissa or other children like her be?”