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Meet Ethan, Miracle Child!

Ethan’s parents, Jason and Jennifer, found out about Ethan’s condition about two weeks after he was born.  He was diagnosed with Sickle Beta Zero Thalassemia, a rare type of Sickle Cell Disease.  As you can imagine, this was difficult for their family as they were told Ethan would have this condition for the rest of his life and the symptoms would be similar to Sickle Cell Anemia.

During the process of the diagnosis, Ethan was admitted to Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital frequently as children with Sickle Cell Disease must be admitted when they have a fever of 100.4.  While most visits have been uneventful, Ethan has had multiple pain crises.  Generally, this originates in his limbs and these visits to the hospital usually lasts about a week.

Ethan’s dad, Jason, said “We know God watched over Ethan, the doctors and the nurses.  The doctors and nurses were incredibly patient with my wife and especially me.  There were nurses that hugged us and cried with us.  Doctors that came by on days they were not scheduled to see him.  We are forever indebted to the people who helped our son.  Although Ethan will continue to visit the clinic and hospital for care, we believe the care he receives is outstanding. ”

Did you know?

Pediatric hematologist-oncologists provide specialized care to children with a variety of blood disorders and cancers. Hematology, or the study of diseases of the blood, includes sickle cell disease, hemophilia (free bleeders), anemia, and other changes in the blood resulting in too many or too few cells.

Count down to Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital’s Mediathon with us as we highlight some our patients that will be sharing their story with us live next week on iHeartMedia, WAFB-TV Channel 9, and the Louisiana Business Inc Publications!  To learn more about Mediathon, click here!