caterina

2008: Turnaround Year!

What a difference a year makes! 2008 saw a new and improved Caterina. In the early Winter we introduced a blenderized diet through her g-tube. Every day we would blend home made foods with a healthy mix of fruits and vegetables that were slowly introduced and added in liquid form through her tube. To that regimen, we also added a number of probiotics and other natural supplements that helped regenerate her gut. To rule out any gut graft vs host disease, she had endoscopies and colonoscopies done which showed she did not have any GVHd.

The addition of this enhanced nutrition slowly began to show its effects. We are what we eat! Caterina began to gain weight, and over a period of a year, gained over 10 pounds! Her strength drastically improved, and her immune system recovered substantially. She was able to go to school consistently and avoided hospitalizations throughout the better part of 2008. She celebrated four years post-transplant in North Carolina!

Slowly her immuno-suppressant drugs were reduced to only taking hydrocortisone once a day!

Her cognitive skills gained by leaps and bounds. She integrated socially into school and enjoyed a wonderful start to her last year in pre-school.

Life with her younger sister became more routine and slowly but surely we witnessed a wonderful recovery after a tumultuous 2007!

Cati still has lots of srides to make but with faith, and one step at a time, we know she will get there!