Slowly, over the course of 16 hours, Tristan received four units of blood. He spent 12 more hours receiving three units of platelets before he could even be moved to the Oncology floor from ICU.
The doctors and nurses told Tristan’s parents they were lucky.
“They said if we had waited one more day, he would have gone to sleep and he wouldn’t have woken up,” Jordan said.
Results from Tristan’s first tests showed that cancer had taken over 80% of his blood and 95% of his bone marrow. Months of chemotherapy took a toll on his body. He was admitted to the hospital numerous times to receive blood or platelets to replenish what was destroyed by his treatment.
“He has gotten so many blood products, I can’t keep track of them,” Jordan said. “I can’t count on both my hands – and my feet – how many times he’s gotten blood or platelets.”
Tristan is strong. He endured the chemotherapy, medicines to treat side effects, and physical therapy to relearn how to walk. Not long after the family moved to Grover last fall and Tristan began receiving treatment at Atrium Health's Levine Children’s, he was declared in remission.