A 9/10 match found for Ashton
it's been a tough roller coaster ride for his parents, Kevin and Nicole and his siblings, Cody and Gabriella.
October 22 is Ashton Dry’s birthday, and his family’s biggest wish is for him to stay strong and avoid any unnecessary hospital visits.
Since Ashton (11) was diagnosed with aggressive Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in February this year, it’s been a tough roller coaster ride for his parents, Kevin and Nicole and his siblings, Cody and Gabriella.
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The Herald recently met with Nicole to find out how Ashton is doing, and what the latest update is on this cool skater boy’s medical condition.
Nicole said Ashton is on maintenance chemo which entails taking tablets every night, and undergoing four days of intravenous chemotherapy (IV chemo) every month in Durban until he is ready for a stem cell transplant.
The exciting news is that they have found a nine out 10 match for Ashton in Germany.
The chances of finding such a match from someone, who is unrelated to the patient, is very slim. There is only a one in 100 000 chance.
So now, the paperwork and dates are being set for the procedure to take place.
Nicole said that due to the high risk of relapse of childhood leukaemia, a stem cell transplant is required, which will give Ashton a 75 percent chance of being cured.
Nicole believes he will pull through this.
“We all have a risk in life, we cannot live fearing the worst, as it will affect our quality of life. We have to live each day believing there is something bigger,” she said.
“This experience has taught us as a family to live in the moment, even if it’s in hospital, to be grateful, find strength, love and happiness.”
Ashton’s little sister, Gabriella (six) fondly known as Ella has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cortical vision impairment and global developmental delays.
Last year, Ella travelled with her parents to India for stem cell treatment.
All went exceptionally well, and Nicole said they have already started seeing some exciting changes and progress from increased concentration and attention span to improved speech.
She is now also attending Megan du Plessis Special Needs Centre and loving it.
Ella’s needs, however, are never-ending, and she has outgrown her equipment and now needs a new wheelchair.
The family are extremely grateful for all the support the community has given them.
“Our community has been so good to us, and that incredible moral support and generosity gets us through those dips and lifts us,” said Nicole.
She urges everyone to sign up to become a stem cell donor or to donate blood or platelets as it could save a life.
You can follow Ashton’s and Ella’s journey on the Facebook page: Ashton Dry or Ella’s Friends.
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