Bone marrow transplant❗ Complications❗ Vlad's fight against neutropenia continues❗

Struggle from the first weeks of life

Vladzio, as his parents affectionately refer to him, came into the world healthy, scoring the maximum number of points on the Apgar scale. Nothing indicated that after just a few weeks his difficult struggle for life would begin. After three weeks, the boy became restless, crying almost constantly. Fevers appeared, and a hard, purple-orange lesion developed in the anal area, which soon turned into a painful fistula.

The first year of Vladyka's life was a string of recurrent infections that attacked the ear, bronchi and lungs. In addition, purulent skin lesions appeared every so often on the little body, which required surgery and drainage. Despite treatment, the boy's condition did not improve. Further hospitalizations and expanded diagnostics were required, including multiple bone marrow biopsies.

The final diagnosis was severe congenital neutropenia with ELANE mutation. This is a rare genetic disease that prevents the body from producing granulocytes responsible for fighting infections.

The search for an unrelated bone marrow donor continued for three years. To no avail. In July 2025, Vlad's dad became the donor, giving his son a chance at life. A haploidentical family transplant was performed.

Complications after transplantation

Despite the hope that accompanied the whole family, complications arose. A partial rejection of the transplant occurred. Vlad's T lymphocytes attacked the donor's marrow cells. To save the transplant, it was necessary to apply strong immunosuppression with the drug ATG, followed by Campath (alemtuzumab), which completely reset the T lymphocytes.

The result of such deep treatment was a sharp drop in blood results. Currently, doctors are awaiting the results of chimerism and virological tests, which will help determine the cause of the drop in parameters and determine the next course of treatment.

A child with a big heart

Despite all the difficulties, Vladzio remains a cheerful, curious boy. Every day he prays not only for his own health, but also for other sick children and adults. He dreams of returning home and being able to go to school like his peers.

From kindergarten to the present day, Vladzio is currently in the second grade, being home schooled through individual teaching. He would very much like to someday sit in a school bench, meet his classmates and get a taste of ordinary childhood. What he misses most is his 12-year-old brother, with whom he shares common games and childhood secrets.

Władzio loves sports. He follows soccer games with great passion, and his idol is Cristiano Ronaldo. He also dreams of having a dog and a cat at home, two creatures he could cuddle endlessly.

Support that empowers

Every support, even the smallest one, is a breath of relief for his family. It's a chance for them to channel all their energies into Vladyka's recovery.