After
spending almost four months in the care of the world's leading pediatric immunologists at
Duke University Medical Center in Durham NC, Nicholas Wendt and his mom Joanie returned
home to Long Island on August 13. Nick's latest function test (taken the day he left Duke)
showed a T-cell count of 133,000, which indicates that the bone marrow transplant he had
last April is triggering his immune system. He also has a "preponderance" of B
cells and "an elevated number" of NK (natural killer) cells, according to a
25-page exit report, although it is not yet clear if they work.
"He is doing phenomenally well", said Dr. Mike Daines, the fellow in charge of Nicholas's case at Duke. The problems that remain are considered minor for a SCID. He still has a relatively mild case Graft vs. Host Disease, symptoms of which include a dry, red skin rash and temporary hair loss (Joanie claims he now looks like Grandpa Nick). Nicholas also suffers from gastroesophagael reflux, which is psychosomatic in origin -- the result of spending a month with tubes stuck down his throat.
Nicholas
has been transferred to the care of Dr. Peter LoGalbo at Long Island Jewish Medical Center's
Schneider Children's Hospital, where he will undergo monthly tests. The blood work will be
sent to Duke for analysis, and Nicholas is expected to return to Durham in November for
evaluation. Monthly infusions of intravenous immunoglobin will be given at home.
Nicholas will also continue the physical and speech therapy he started in Durham. The physical therapist has assured Joanie and Richie that their son has no neurological impairments, and that his developmental delays will vanish with time. She even claimed that she will have Nicholas crawling in a month!
While Nicholas must remain at home in semi-isolation until his immune system grows stronger, Joanie can enjoy the company of family and friends as long as she takes precautions to avoid contact with other people's germs. Richie, no doubt, is relieved that he can now see his wife and child without first purchasing plane tickets.