Berwick brothers ready for bonding bone marrow transplant

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

Life took a dramatic and frightening turn for Berwick residents Tanya and Richard Oickle and their sons, Nicholas and Blye, last month.

"We were camping and had noticed that Nicholas seemed to be very bruised - more so than a typical boy his age," explains Tanya of the decision to take her five year-old son to the IWK in Halifax. Following a round of bloodwork, Nicholas was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a very rare condition where bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish blood cells.

"I don't know what we expected to learn, but I can tell you it wasn't that. The diagnosis was a total shock.”

Life since has been “a whirlwind” of meetings with specialists and learning about the blood disorder.

“There has been so much information to learn and digest in such a short period of time, it’s been overwhelming.”

Treatment for aplastic anemia, which can develop at any age and results in fatigue and a high risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding, may include medications, blood transfusions or a bone marrow transplant.

As soon as he was diagnosed, Nicholas started a series of blood transfusions at the IWK while doctors looked for a marrow match. They found it in his seven-year-old brother, Blye.

“There’s a one-in-four chance that a sibling is a match, and we are very fortunuate that a transplant is an option for Nicholas,” said Tanya.

Within two weeks of the diagnosis and match, plans were made for the brothers to travel to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, for a transplant August 14. In the days leading up to their August 9 flight to Toronto, Nicholas was prepared for the pre-transplant chemotherapy that will eradicate any bad marrow, before he receives his brother’s healthy marrow.

August 13, doctors were to extract Blye’s marrow from several points on his hips and lower back.

“He has tough road ahead: gathering the marrow is not an easy procedure. But, he is very aware of what he is doing, of how important it is,” says Tanya. She thinks it may be due to the fact Blye has faced his own health challenges following a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes just after he turned five.

“He understands what it means to be sick, and he wants his brother to be better.”

Tanya and her husband have been very open with the boys about the procedure and what life will be like for the family in the next couple of months. After the transplant, Nicholas will have to stay in hospital in Toronto between six and eight weeks and be monitored very closely for six months after the transplant. Blye will be home in time to start Grade 3.

“Nicholas was so excited about starting Primary this fall, but it will likely be February before he can go to school. And, if there is any kind of outbreak or illness in Blye’s class, he will have to stay home as well. We can’t risk him bringing any germs home that could jeopardize Nicholas’s recovery.”

Exhausted from a lack of sleep and worry over their sons’ health, the Oickles’ situation is also compounded by the financial challenge they face managing this family crisis. Despite the fact the transplant cannot be performed in Nova Scotia, the provincial government will only pay for the procedure itself. There is no assistance for travel and accommodations while the family is in Toronto. They are on a waiting list for Ronald McDonald House in Toronto but, until they can get space there, they have to stay in a hotel. Tanya has taken a leave of absence from her job, but her husband is not working at the present time and waiting for EI benefits to start.

“This (diagnosis) came about so quickly, we have had practically no time to prepare financially - or emotionally. It’s all very hard to take in. To be honest, I don’t know how we will manage, but I can’t focus on that right now. It’s the boys that matte;, the rest will take care of itself,” says Tanya.



Friends fundraise for Nicholas

Family and friends have stepped in to support the Oickles, and will host several fundraisers over the coming weeks:

• Tickets are being sold on a remote control car at Main Street Video, Berwick, until the August 19 draw date.

• August 24, a Chinese auction and magic show will be held t the Waterville fire hall, noon to 5 p.m. Bidding on the auction items begins at noon, with the draw taking place at 4 p.m. The Great Tim Beanie will be there to to entertain the kids from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• September 7, a pork roast supper will be hosted at the Berwick Lions Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

• People may also offer their support and monitor the family’s progress by visiting the Facebook site, “Prayers for Nicholas.”

“The boys are very close and lucky to have each other, and we are lucky to have the support of people to help get us through this,” says Tanya.