Seven year-old Camryn Kellam was cheered by her family and her care team from Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital during a recent ceremony in which she was presented with an official sash designating her as a hospital ambassador for the Go the Distance Virtual Walk.
Camryn was born with Sickle Cell Disease and underwent a successful stem cell transplant at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in March 2020. Camryn’s oldest sister, Skylar, 21, was her life-changing donor. The transplant was successful and now Camryn remains free of the significant symptoms and complications associated with the disease.
Neurosurgical care at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital also is on the horizon for Camryn as physicians also diagnosed Camryn with Moyamoya Disease, a rare and progressive condition of tortuous (twisted) blood vessels at the base of Camryn’s brain. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Moyamoya Disease can lead to aneurysms, strokes and other serious neurological complications.
Despite these challenges, Camryn is doing well and her spirits are high, which is why Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), chose Camryn to represent the thousands of acutely ill and injured children cared for by Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital each year.
Go the Distance is an annual walk and family day fundraiser for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. This is the 17th edition of the event that for the safety of participants will be conducted virtually. Families and organizations eager to participate are encouraged to walk a one-mile course of their choosing between now and November 7.
Those who wish to create a team and support the advanced care mission of Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital should call 914.493.2575 or visit Give.WMCHealth.org/GTD21 for team-building and fundraising instructions.
Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital is a Leading Research Center
Camryn’s stem cell transplant was conducted as part of a Sickle Cell Disease research trial led by Mitchell Cairo, MD, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital’s Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation. Study results reported in a peer-reviewed journal showed 100% subject survival and the elimination of symptoms and complications associated with Sickle Cell Disease. That research trial is one of several studies on Sickle Cell Disease, pediatric blood disorders and cancers for which Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital serves as the lead research site.
The Childhood and Adolescent Cancer and Blood Diseases Center at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, is an internationally-recognized, multidisciplinary diagnostic treatment and research center that extends comprehensive care while leading breakthrough research in cancer and blood diseases. Referring physicians or families seeking a consultation with one of the center’s cancer or blood disorder specialists should call 914.493.7997.
More inspirational stories from Maria Fareri Childrens Hospital:
The Coxes’ Story: Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital Helps Couple Manage Son’s Epilepsy
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