AJ's Story - Diamond Blackfan Anemia

three.

AJ woke to someone somewhat frantically shaking her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she heard a sigh of relief from the owner of her dance studio, Mrs Bethany. AJ stretched her arms, feeling slightly awkward sitting there with her studio director anxiously staring at her. "Um- sorry- about that," she muttered, unsure of what to say. 

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Bethany asked her, worry written all over her face.

"Um, I'm not really sure, to be honest," AJ said. The world was still blurry, and she was still rather lightheaded. Besides, what are you supposed to respond with when someone asks how you're feeling after you just passed out in a lobby? She continued quietly, "I've been feeling pretty exhausted and out of breath recently, and the medicine my doctor gave me doesn't seem to be working."

Bethany nodded." Okay. I'm going to call your mom to see if she can come pick you up . I don't think you should go back to class, we don't want you to pass out again."

"Alright," AJ whispered.

...   <3   ...

When AJ's mom, Julie, picked her up, after running out of work and speeding down back roads to get to the studio faster, she decided they were going to the Emergency Room. AJ looked awful, super pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes kept losing focus, and Julie was worried she was going to faint again. 

Looking back on it, AJ would barely remember that car ride or the ER visit that followed. She was incredibly dazed and "out of it". She had been severely anemic for almost two months, and all the effects were crashing down on her.

They were checked into a room very quickly, with Julie practically carrying AJ, who was swaying on her feet. Julie could barely keep up with the rapid-fire questions regarding her daughter's health, and could only relay what AJ's doctor had said a month prior. AJ could barely register what was happening around her, much less the details of the questions being asked.

The nurse taking her vitals was checking her oxygen levels, when they suddenly dropped. AJ had fainted, and was not breathing. An alarm went off, and doctors and technicians rushed to AJ and her mom's cubicle. Julie could only watch in terror as the ER techs began chest compressions on her daughter. The nurse's counts that she panted out while forcing air into AJ's lungs thundered in Julie's ears. Suddenly, AJ's chest lifted on its own. Tears of relief streamed down Julie's face. It had been less than two minutes, but it might as well have been a lifetime. 

One of the ER technicians appeared with a nose cannula, and hooked it over AJ's ears and inserted the nubs into her nose. The doctor explained to Julie that it should hopefully make sure AJ got enough oxygen, and counteract the fainting. Julie nodded, grateful for anything that would help her daughter. He also announced that he was ordering a blood test, and was going to admit AJ as an inpatient so he could go over her medical records at length while keeping a close eye on her. 

"You mentioned a previous diagnosis of Iron Deficiency Anemia, correct?" he confirmed, whilst reading off of the nurse's notes. 

Julie affirmed this.

"Considering that she is still presenting with quite severe symptoms, I believe she was initially misdiagnosed. There are quite a few possible explanations for AJ's symptoms, so we need a few more tests to rule out some things." He looked apologetic. "I'm very sorry, but until we know what is wrong with your daughter, and we stabilize her, I'm afraid you're going to be here for a while."

"I completely understand," Julie replied,"Whatever it takes to make her okay again."

The doctor explained how many of the conditions he was considering for AJ had a genetic factor to them, and asked, "Is there anyone in your family who has experienced similar illness?"

Julie bit her lip in thought. "I- don't believe so from my side of the family. However, um, AJ's biological father, my ex-husband- I really have no idea about his side of the family. He never shared much of that information with me. He has no custody over AJ, and I haven't contacted him in years."

The doctor frowned. "I see." He flipped through the notes on the clipboard for a few seconds, and scribbled some words down. "I want to get a complete blood count for AJ, to measure the amount of red and white blood cells, as well as  platelets she currently has in her body. Then we can move you guys to an inpatient room upstairs, and AJ needs to receive a blood transfusion as soon as possible. A specialist and I will talk to you shortly about our next steps, and scheduling some tests." He offered his hand, which Julie shook gratefully. 

Seeing her daughter like this had broken her, but here was this doctor, a beacon of hope.