Hi Fort family, I have been meaning to post an update for a couple of weeks now but was waiting for some news before posting. I want to start off by saying THANK YOU for the INCREDIBLE support we received from the Fort family to our GoFundMe fundraiser. We are truly speechless, still, for the incredible generous donations. Thanks to many of you here, the anxiety we have over my wife having to take a leave from her job while our son is in the hospital has eased as we will be able to get by while she is not collecting a paycheck. Again, THANK YOU!!! Now to Noah, our son, who is 6 months old and has a very rare genetic disorder called Osteopetrosis. As many of you know who helped us out or read the original thread, his condition requires a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant. Osteopetrosis is a condition which causes the bones to become very dense and not allow the marrow to form in the bone which is fatal without a transplant. As of now, he is having weekly (at least) blood draws to check his Hemoglobin, WBC, RBC and platelet counts. If his numbers reach a certain level, he needs to go in for a blood transfusion. For the past couple of weeks, we have been expecting to have to take him in for a transfusion but his numbers have been good, even improving! Which is good news. The other piece of good news I wanted to share is that they have found 3 donors who are perfect matches, which is amazing. The doctor who will be performing the transplant at the Children's Hospital of Michigan 'ranked' the 3 donors and they are currently waiting to hear from the first of the 3 donors to find out if they will be available when the doctors hope to perform the transplant, if they are not available then they will move to the 2nd or 3rd. Our doctor hopes to perform the transplant the first or second week of October. Our son still has a LONG road ahead of him but as of now things are going well and we are both excited and nervous for the procedure to happen. Excited because it is his only hope for a 'normal' life and also nervous because with transplants come the risks of infections and many other complications which can be fatal. I will keep you updated as best I can but in the meantime please keep my son in your prayers. He is an incredible happy and tough little boy.
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