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Why I Ride

Jackson Merriman's medical issues began with frequent headaches and led to the discovery of multiple brain abcesses. At 9 months old, Jackson had already had three brain surgeries. Jackson was 14 months old when he was diagnosed with NEMO, a form of inherited immune deficiency. Patients with this and other forms of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease (SCID) are at constant risk for life threatening infections. Bone marrow transplant from a healthy, well matched donor can be curative for patients with SCID. Now 4 years old, Jackson was referred to the TCH BMT Program and is going through a cord blood transplant. Because Jackson lacks a matched family member, his transplant was from an unrelated cord blood donor on a clinical research protocol developed at TCH. Jackson recently wrapped up his inpatient transplant treatment, which included chemotherapy, immune suppression and blood transfusions. His new healthy donor immune system is beginning to engraft and it is hoped that in the coming year exposure to viruses, funguses and bacteria will no longer jeopardize Jackson's life. Although he is undergoing very aggressive treatments, Jackson's endless smiles and contagious happiness reflects only a playful little ball of energy.

Philanthropy is what drives our research and treatment efforts for cases like Jackson's. This is why I ride.