While still in the womb, Elianna was diagnosed with alpha thalassemia major, a fatal disorder that prevents the formation of normal hemoglobin that carries oxygen to cells throughout the body. Almost five percent of the population carries the gene that causes this condition.
An ultrasound revealed life-threatening swelling, including an enlarged heart, that are sure signs of the disease. It was Elianna’s body responding to severe anemia and a lack of oxygen.
Elianna’s condition was critical, and doctors had to treat the swelling before they could give her a life-saving stem cell transplant. Doctors would actually try a radical new treatment involving adult stem cells from Elianna’s mother. Read about it and the results here.