Boy, 2, With Rare Disease Saved By ‘Life Saving' Bone Marrow Transplant

Family plans to throw a party to thank donor in her 20s

A 2-year-old boy whose story touched hundreds across the Chicago area as he battled a rare disease has received a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Sawyer Wright was diagnosed in February with a-plastic anemia, a condition where the immune system attacks the body's bone marrow.

The disease, which is rare in children, left Sawyer in and out of the hospital for months before he was admitted full-time at Lurie Children's at the end of April. It was then his family began pleading with the public to consider donating bone marrow. 

"We were told it could be a while, we were also told we might find a match but there are a lot of things that could happen," said Kevin Wright, Sawyer's father.

But Sawyer found a match with a woman in her 20s.

"It's really a miracle. It's hard to put into words how grateful we really are," Kevin Wright said.

Sawyer's nurses say he will remain under close observation at Lurie Children's Hospital for at least another month and will have frequent doctors' visits. 

"If he was not able to, I don't know if he would have been able to make it through that with all of his infections and his aplastic anemia, it was pretty severe," said Bridget Griffin, one of Sawyer's nurses.

Sawyer's parents say they're forever grateful to the strangers who donated in their son's name and the donor who gave their son a chance. Despite the family not being allowed to contact the donor for a year, they say they plan on throwing a big party to thank her.

"It's lifesaving, this donation. It's lifesaving," Kevin Wright said.

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