Bone marrow match gives infant chance at normal life

Caden Atchley has lived in a virtual bubble his entire young life.

But that could soon change.

The Spokane infant, who is 6 months old, was born with severe combined immune deficiency syndrome, or SCIDS, a rare condition that leaves the body defenseless against illness.

His only hope of living a normal life is a bone marrow transplant.

And, about 10 days ago, Caden’s family found out that he had a match – a perfect match – with a 21-year-old man living somewhere in the United States.

“We were so excited,” says his mom, Melissa Atchley. “We were very excited. At the same time, we were trying to keep our excitement at bay just to get all the details. We couldn’t stop grinning.”

Finding a suitable donor has taken several months and has included a number of marrow drives in Spokane. Atchley does not know if the donor was found through one of the local drives.

But pinning down a donor is only the first step; Caden and his family have a marathon ahead of them.

First, at the end of this month, Caden will stop receiving the medication that has helped boost his immune system since shortly after his birth. Then, on April 17, he is scheduled to be admitted to Children’s Hospital in Seattle, where he’ll start receiving immune-suppressing medication. The day before his transplant, he’ll be given one dose of radiation to knock out any remaining immune system he has.

And finally on April 27, he is slated to be transfused with the healthy bone marrow.

“That’s going to be the real rough time,” Melissa Atchley says. “It’s going to be a long, hard road. He’s going to be very susceptible to infection.”

After the transplant, Caden likely will stay in the hospital for three to four weeks. And then he’ll need to remain with his family for at least 100 days in Seattle, where he’ll be watched closely for signs of tissue rejection.

If all goes well, Caden no longer will have to live in isolation to prevent infection. He’ll be able to go to school, to the grocery store, to the park.

“We’re really hoping and praying his body takes this well,” his mother says.

The Atchleys – Melissa, her husband Josh, Caden, and their 5-year-old son, Austin – have been living in Seattle for months while the baby gets medical care.

The Atchleys give Caden 10 immune-boosting shots each week and, for the most part, his health has been good.

“He can roll over now,” Melissa Atchley says. “He really enjoys his own voice.

“He likes to scream, just to hear himself, and then he’ll start laughing.”