At a very young age, Khloe Land of Coos Bay, Oregon, doesn’t know much about life yet but she knows how to be a “hero”.
Kayla and Daniel Land were so happy when Colton came into the world last July 24 of this year. Colton Land has two wonderful big sisters, 9-year old Krissy, and 4-year old Khloe. They were so happy that Colton was a handsome and healthy baby boy.
The unexpected turnaround
Just after a week after Colton’s birth, doctors talked to Kayla and Daniel about the little boy’s condition. They explained that Colton was born without an immune system. The news that their youngest baby had Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), broke their hearts.
SCID is a condition that is also known as “bubble boy disease” and people who have this disease are incredibly prone to almost all types of infections due to their weakened immune systems. Most people who have been diagnosed with such are isolated from the world for their protection.
Bone marrow transplant
Colton needed to have a bone marrow transplant so he can survive but the doctors told his parents that he needs to have a match. They explained that it’s ideal to have a match preferably from a sibling to have a higher chance of success in the procedure.
Krissy, who was the eldest was their ideal candidate because she was already old enough to understand and she really wanted to help her little baby brother.
Both parents explained to their daughters that there is a chance that they would be a match for little Colton and without hesitation, both girls wanted to help – no matter what.
Once decided, both girls got tested. All hoping that one would turn out to be Colton’s match.
“My husband and I were hoping it was our older daughter (Krissy) because she understood and she wanted to be the one to help her little brother. ‘When we found it was Khloe, she was really excited at first and then fear kicked in within about 30 seconds and she broke down and told us how scared she was,” Kayla told in her interview with ABC.
Khloe the “superhero”
It was such good news to know that Khloe’s bone marrow was a “perfect match” for her brother, said Dr. Evan Shereck of OHSU.
“The likelihood of a sibling being a perfect match for a bone marrow donation is only about 25%,” Shereck added.
On September 16, Khloe went to the hospital wearing her cute Superman dress to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland where she bravely underwent the bone marrow donation for her little baby brother.
Big sister Krissy assisted and gave moral support not just for her siblings but for her parents as well. She was also as brave and as loving.
Mommy Kayla updated their GoFundMe page a day after the procedure was done.
“Khloe’s procedure was so minimal because they had to take such a small amount – it literally looks like two little pen dots on her back. She is up and playing like nothing ever happened. They were even able to get enough for two additional transplants for Colton they can freeze for 10 years in case it’s ever needed. (Hope that never has to happen)”
Colton is growing more handsome each day and not to mention stronger too thanks to his parents and big sisters who bravely became heroes. Hand in hand, the Land family will not just inspire but will also show the world that anyone can be a hero.
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