Isla’s Story

 Isla is only 6 years old and was diagnosed- in March 2018- with a rare blood dis-order, Polycythemia.

Polycythemia is a reasonably rare blood disorder in adults, there are many causes. In children it is so very rare that the paediatric haematologists in the Heath Hospital have never seen it and therefore they don't have much to go on. For some reason Isla's body makes too many red blood cells, we were very lucky to find it when we did, before she experienced a catastrophic event like a stroke or blood clot. 

A normal persons red blood cell count is around 120, Isla's was almost double that at 233, no wonder she wasn't herself. Her body was exhausted, trying to pump blood that was twice as thick as it should be. Over the next 5 days the staff at the hospital removed two thirds of Isla's blood 200ml at a time and replaced it with saline. The whole process takes the best part of a day, between the setting up, calming down, cannula insertion, blood removal and saline insertion.

Once Isla's blood level was stabilised we had an appointment in the Heath where we were told that polycythaemia is a lifelong condition, that Isla would have to have blood removed every week, that there would be more tests and finally that of all the blood cancers to have, polycythaemia is the best one