Possibility as the path to treatment
Dr. Ryan Smith enjoys solving problems. While pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, he decided he preferred finding solutions for equations with a human element. So he switched studies to medicine, and now he?s a pediatrician at Soldiers? Memorial Hospital in Orillia, Ontario. That?s where he met the remarkable Aunika Kerr, one day after she was born.
Little Aunika was born without an immune system. In addition to deafness in one smaller ear, and swallowing issues that necessitate a feeding tube, Aunika lacked the thymus gland responsible for educating T cells to defend her body against infection. Now a year old, she has a thymus ? thanks to the efforts and expertise of a team of healthcare professionals anchored by Smith, the Kerrs? crucial first point of contact. ?He?s our go-to guy,? says Aunika?s mom Maggie. ?We made such a great bond with him.? Smith supported the Kerrs through Aunika?s first week, coordinating kiddo?s transfer to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children ? where a battery of tests couldn?t determine a clear path for her treatment. Should they transplant T cell-rich bone marrow" Or the thymus itself, in a new procedure performed by only one hospital"
?My mother?s instinct was screaming at me that it was the thymus,? says Maggie. She knew she should get Aunika to the single transplant facility, Duke University in the US. Smith?s nonjudgmental manner boosted the Kerrs? confidence to take steps. ?He never gave us a definitive yes or no,? says...
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