Bone marrow donor sought to save life
of baby girl battling rare bone disorder.

tional bone marrow registries failed
mon that doctors told the Blums
to produce a match, the Blums were
they needed to do some research,
told their best chances of finding a
then get back to them. When they
donor for Hannah would be within
were "given some sheets from the
the Jewish community.
Internet," Blum says, "we felt like we
),
After learning that the blood test-
were handed a death sentence.
ing
necessary to determine a bone
Treatment so far has been to alle-
marrow
match is $54 per person,
viate symptoms, not cure Hannah's
and the American Red Cross
illness. A shunt was placed in the
requires a guarantee of coverage for
area between her skull and forehead
at least 100 donors, Scher-Allgren
to reduce fluid. But as time goes on,
said, "I looked for sponsors with a
her bones will keep getting thicker.
big name in the community." She
Eventually there will not be enough
contacted World Wide Financial in
space to produce bone marrow, the
Birmingham, which agreed to
tissue inside bone that produces red
underwrite that cost, and Big
and white blood cells and platelets,
Daddy's Parthenon in West
needed to fight infection, carry oxy-
Bloomfield, which offered a room as
gen and help control bleeding.
a donor site.
An ongoing complication is that
Rob Silverstein, chief operations
as Hannah's bones thicken at the
officer
at World Wide, at first
base of her skull, they will press on
refused
the request because he and
nerves, which can cause blindness
partner
Andy
Jacob already support
and deafness.
many charitable organizations. But
Hannah has been part of a
Silverstein says
national osteopet-
Scher-Allgren
rosis study since
"finally caught
August. It involves
my heartstrings"
a three-time week-
when the
ly injection of a
thought of
medication by her
young Hannah
mother, who says
"Hugs for Hannah" aims
made him think
her child is "very
of his own three
to
inspire
recovery
of
irritable because
small children. It
of it. She has had a
7-month-old girl.
also made a dif-
low-grade fever
ference when she
since Sept. 21.
mentioned
the
Blums
are part of the
Since the July diagnosis, a bone
Jewish community.
marrow transplant has been project-
Canisters placed in local business-
ed as a possible cure. Blum's sister,
es
as
well as private donations are
Jacquelyn Scher-Allgren of
helping
cover the cost of testing for
Bloomfield Township, has been
those
beyond
the first hundred.
actively seeking a way to locate a
Those
to
be
tested must be in
bone marrow donor for her niece.
general
good
health
and between
After testing family members and a
ages 18 and 60, according to the
ch of the national and interna-

fti

Hannah Rochelle Blum

SHELLI DORFMAN

Staff Writer

L

ori Blum used to call her
family "The Brady Bunch"
after the popular TV show.
She and her husband,
Loren, each brought to their 1997
marriage three children close in age
— three girls and three boys, at the
time ranging from 8 to 13 years old.
And just like their TV predecessors,
she says, "they had no competition,
no fighting."
But the similarities to the TV
sitcom ended when the Blums

11/5

1 CI

decided to further join their fami-
lies with the addition of a baby.
With six healthy children, and nor-
mal prenatal testing, the West
Bloomfield family welcomed
Hannah Rochelle on March 16.
Right from the start, Hannah's
doctors noticed her rapid respiratory
rate and an inconsistent body tem-
perature. When she was 17 days old,
her mother saw a facial abnormality
that was diagnosed as Bell's Palsy.
Further testing brought a diagno-
sis of osteopetrosis, a rare congenital
disorder in which the bones are over-
is so uncom-