In August 2003, Austin was diagnosed with Leukemia. After extracting a bone
marrow sample, that diagnosis quickly changed to Aplastic Anemia – a cousin to
Leukemia; lucky for us, this is a good relative, one without cancer. Phew! It was
an emotional roller coaster for him and his family. At the time, Austin was 12
years old and starting middle school in Plano.
The doctors treated his low platelet count, including a regimen of steroids. As a
side effect, his normally skinny body became bloated by the steroids - Austin
took it in stride; when his best buddies called him "Chubbs", his sense of humor
prevailed. Of course, for the kid who hates needles, having to undergo weekly
blood draws wasn't too fun. The treatments, however, were successful in that
Austin's platelet count seemed to hold its own. And continued to do so for the
next 3 years...
Feeling good, Austin started high school in 2006 and began marching in the
award-winning Jasper High School band. He also became active in the Future
Farmers of America and began raising and showing pigs. He found a passion
for it, and set his sights on entering Veterinary School after graduation.
Then in August of 2007, Austin's counts took a dive. By October, he required a
couple of transfusions, and it looked as though his condition was deteriorating.
His wonderful doctors at Medical City of Dallas took another bone marrow test,
altered his diagnosis, and began him on a new medication. This medicine was
hard on his body. In spite of it all, he was able to see a couple of specialists -
one at Baylor and one at MD Anderson in Houston. Throughout all of this,
Austin's spirits stayed strong; he missed a lot of school , but his teachers
worked with him to make it all up.
After the collective opinions of all these experts, they arrived at a new diagnosis -
Myelodysplasia. It's also a bone marrow disorder, in the same family as
Leukemia and Aplastic Anemia. It's very rare in adolescents. And the only cure
for Myelodysplasia is a bone marrow transplant.
Austin's path today: They continue to watch side effects and his counts, the
doctors are looking for someone who has been successfully treated without a
transplant, and they also continue to look for a perfect match in the bone marrow
registry.
marrow sample, that diagnosis quickly changed to Aplastic Anemia – a cousin to
Leukemia; lucky for us, this is a good relative, one without cancer. Phew! It was
an emotional roller coaster for him and his family. At the time, Austin was 12
years old and starting middle school in Plano.
The doctors treated his low platelet count, including a regimen of steroids. As a
side effect, his normally skinny body became bloated by the steroids - Austin
took it in stride; when his best buddies called him "Chubbs", his sense of humor
prevailed. Of course, for the kid who hates needles, having to undergo weekly
blood draws wasn't too fun. The treatments, however, were successful in that
Austin's platelet count seemed to hold its own. And continued to do so for the
next 3 years...
Feeling good, Austin started high school in 2006 and began marching in the
award-winning Jasper High School band. He also became active in the Future
Farmers of America and began raising and showing pigs. He found a passion
for it, and set his sights on entering Veterinary School after graduation.
Then in August of 2007, Austin's counts took a dive. By October, he required a
couple of transfusions, and it looked as though his condition was deteriorating.
His wonderful doctors at Medical City of Dallas took another bone marrow test,
altered his diagnosis, and began him on a new medication. This medicine was
hard on his body. In spite of it all, he was able to see a couple of specialists -
one at Baylor and one at MD Anderson in Houston. Throughout all of this,
Austin's spirits stayed strong; he missed a lot of school , but his teachers
worked with him to make it all up.
After the collective opinions of all these experts, they arrived at a new diagnosis -
Myelodysplasia. It's also a bone marrow disorder, in the same family as
Leukemia and Aplastic Anemia. It's very rare in adolescents. And the only cure
for Myelodysplasia is a bone marrow transplant.
Austin's path today: They continue to watch side effects and his counts, the
doctors are looking for someone who has been successfully treated without a
transplant, and they also continue to look for a perfect match in the bone marrow
registry.
A Badge of Courage
Austin's Story
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