He slowly regained the ability to walk, could hold his head up, wasn't having the tremors, wasn't having as many of the issues,” said Sara. “We're part way through this journey, but I think we still have a long road ahead of us. This winter he was invited to the statehouse to join New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu as he proclaimed January as National Blood Donor Month. Lucas’ tumor has been successfully removed however his IVIG treatments continue. It's been a really nice opportunity to connect with other folks,” Sara said. We've got this whole group that donates.’ And so now she belongs to this group that all donate plasma, and it's a community that she's now found herself in. “When my stepmom was starting to talk about donating, her friend said, ‘Oh, you should come with us. We’d ask, ‘Can you donate blood? Can you donate plasma? Can you do platelets?’”Īfter creating a social media presence to share Lucas’ progress, Sara heard stories of community donor groups. ![]() But blood donations felt like a very tangible thing. We couldn’t think past tomorrow, in terms of how people can help. A lot of people were asking how they could help. Sara added, “That was going to be a big part of his life and his story. That was probably the moment we really started to pay closer attention and to do a little bit more research.” IVIG is made predominantly out of plasma donations. “At that same time, you hear about shortages of blood and plasma. ![]() “All we really knew about it was it was a blood product,” said Gavin, Lucas’ dad. Sara and Gavin Telfer realized that whole blood would be used during their son’s surgery to remove his tumor and that Lucas would need IVIG treatments for the foreseeable future. OMAS is an autoimmune disorder that can be triggered by a tumor or neuroblastoma. His body’s immune system fought the cancer but, in the process, also attacked his brain, causing opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome, or OMAS. Lucas had neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer. Additional testing resulted in a new diagnosis. ![]() He lost the ability to walk, his eyes movement became erratic and his speech regressed. His tremors increased and new symptoms appeared. “We were thrilled that it was a minor ailment, not a long-term impact diagnosis,” said Lucas’ mother, Sara Telfer.īut to the Telfers’ dismay, time did not heal Lucas. The recommended treatment was to allow the patient’s body time to reset itself.
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