Concord's Nicole Nelson continues her battle against aplastic anemia, a disease that limits the production of cells in her body.

The 35-year-old physician's assistant received an umbilical cord blood transfusion last month in Boston, a procedure necessary after an adult bone marrow donor with the proper match failed to surface.

Nelson, suffering from dehydration, returned to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston yesterday and will remain there for at least several days, her sister Kim Phillips said yesterday.

Doctors hope the cord blood from a newborn will stimulate the production of cells necessary to sustain life. Her immune system, controlled by white blood cells, has trouble fighting infection, her blood doesn't clot properly because of a low platelet count, and she tires easily without enough red blood cells, which transport oxygen.

And while Phillips said that Nelson's cell counts have increased, her regular weekly hospital checkup unexpectedly turned into an extended stay yesterday.

"She has issues with eating," Phillips said. "It's been rough. She's having a hard time. They're going to keep her for a few days to try to get that straightened out so she can start to get some nourishment from something."

Nelson was diagnosed in September. Her boss at Concord Hospital, Dr. Bob Johnson, and Anne Nason, a nurse practitioner, quickly began spreading the word that Nelson needed a bone marrow transplant. Local media outlets chronicled her story, as did MSNBC, which aired a live segment in the winter that included images of Nelson's 18-month-old daughter, Katie, on her lap.

About 6,000 people nationally are waiting for bone marrow transplants, and about 11 million are registered donors. Ethnicity and a large donor base are the keys to finding a match.

Donor drives were held throughout the state, but no match was found, prompting doctors to change direction.

"There's a limit on how long you can go on giving blood transfusions and platelet transfusions and then have a successful transplant," Johnson said. "Even if you find a match, you might build up antibodies as you go along, and they don't want to do that indefinitely. They were going to have to think in terms of alternative forms of therapy."

Nelson spent five weeks in the hospital after the cord blood operation. She came home March 5.

"Her first week home was her best week," Phillips said. "It's been a slow decline with not being able to eat lately. It's just that everyday normal things are tough."

An adult bone marrow transplant was the preferable treatment. Still, Nelson has made progress.

"She's had responses as far as white cells are concerned," Johnson said. "But platelets and red blood cells are slower to come around. It takes a long time for that to show results."

Nelson's husband, Rick, is a police officer in Peterborough. He recently returned to work after time off to be with his wife. Nelson's sisters, Phillips and Katherine Drouin, and their mother, Debbie, pitch in caring for Katie.

Single page