Girl Saves Three Brothers With Bone Marrow Transplants

Posted: December 28, 2013 at 3:42 pm

Thirteen-year-old Julia Jenkins saved all three of her brothers by donating bone marrow twicewithout which her siblings could not have survived a rare blood disorder.

In 2008, Julias two-year-old brother was diagnosed with Burkitts lymphoma, a rare cancer.

"I had asked the Lord, Please don't let it be cancer.' But then when it turned to be cancerous, I had to change my perspective and say, Thank you that's it's curable. If you get it in time, it's curable, you can fight it,'" said their mother, Christy Jenkins.

Then, Julias six-year-old brother John began suffering from severe stomach problems. Exactly two years later after Will's diagnosis, while he was undergoing chemotherapy, John was diagnosed with the same cancer.

While Berkitts lymphoma is not usually genetic, a specialist had the boys tested for XLP, a genetic immune disorder that caused similar symptoms. Both bothers tested positive for it as did their two-year-old brother Matthew.

"Here I was approached with the plate of, 'All three boys need a bone marrow transplant to possibly survive,'" said Christy Jenkins.

Julia, who did not have the disease, was tested for a bone marrow match.

"I remember getting my blood tested, like sticking a needle in my arm," Julia said.

Despite the odds, Julia's bone marrow matched perfectly with all three of her brothers. At eight years old, though, Julia didnt know what a transplant would entail.

"But, I said yes, because they're my brothers," said Julia.

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Girl Saves Three Brothers With Bone Marrow Transplants

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