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Bone marrow from China to help a child in US
MILWAUKEE -- The Children's Hospital of Wisconsin expects to receive bone marrow from China in two to four weeks in hope of helping an 8-year-old girl with a potentially deadly disease. Kailee Wells was first diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a failure of the bone marrow, nearly four years ago. She and her parents learned a perfectly matched bone marrow donor, a young man, has been found in her native land in China. "It is exciting cooperation," said David A. Margolis, a physician at Children's Hospital who is coordinating Kailee's treatment. "It is humanity coming together to help a child." Linda and Owen Wells adopted Kailee from China after her birth mother left her at an orphanage in Hunan Province. The family had planned to return to China to find a donor. "There's nothing more important than this sweet girl," Owen Wells said. "Now we have everything we need: a perfect match for non-related bone marrow donor ... In Kailee's words, 'I will be rid of my stupid aplastic anemia."' Kailee's illness wasn't discovered until she developed a 105-degree fever the night of her fifth birthday when the family lived in Albuquerque, N.M. Aplastic anemia remains uncommon -- about 1,000 new cases are discovered each year. While many are cured, Kailee has a severe form of the disease and needs a bone marrow transplant. Her symptoms have worsened recently.
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