Ottawa girl celebrates milestone after diagnosis with fatal blood disorders
Posted Jun 23, 2022 10:10:00 PM.
An eight-year-old girl from Ottawa rings CHEO's Celebration Bell on June 23 after receiving treatment for rare blood disorders.
CHEO's Celebration Bell signifies patients celebrating medical achievements.
June 23 marks the day Hillary McKibbin has gone into full remission following her fight with deadly blood disorders. This comes after Hillary was diagnosed with Idiopathic Aplastic Anemia and Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria three years ago.
“I am in full remission, and I am living my best life,” said Hillary on The Sam Laprade Show on Thursday, June 23.
Only five-years-old when diagnosed in 2019, the rare blood disorders meant that her blood marrow stopped producing new blood cells.
“We found out later that I had Aplastic Anemia – a rare blood condition – that causes me to not have as much blood as a normal human body could,” said Hillary.
A blood donor match means a patient can receive a bone marrow transplant – and potentially save their life. Yet, finding a match has been a challenge for many blood disorder patients. According to Hillary's mother, Kelly McKibbin, CHEO and the people in Ottawa who donated blood are responsible for saving their daughter's life and the family is finding ways to give back to the community.
“Today we were able to thank CHEO staff but there's an entire city of people who donate blood and blood products that essentially saved Hillary's life – those are strangers that I'll never meet,” said Kelly.
Hillary and family are hoping to raise awareness and encourage people to join the World Marrow Donor Association Registry. This global stem cell registry aims to give everyone a chance to benefit from a life-saving stem cell transplant. Stem cells are produced indefinitely in a healthy individual, while the bone marrow of those suffering with Idiopathic Aplastic Anemia stop producing new blood cells – and this can be fatal. Globally, around 18,000 people are seeking a blood match – with over 800 patients in Canada alone.
Hillary's father, Steve McKibbin, said CHEO is facing a resource shortage – like staffing and beds – and encourages the city to donate to this hospital saving children's lives.
“We can tell you first-hand how stretched people (staff) at CHEO are…they go above and beyond to help save Hillary and other kids everyday,” said Steve. “Donate to CHEO so they can hire enough doctors and nurses and to fix the hospital so it's there when somebody needs it.”
Listen to the interview with Hillary McKibbin and her family below:
