{"id":2911,"date":"2018-02-06T16:56:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T16:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=2911"},"modified":"2022-02-09T12:00:42","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T18:00:42","slug":"eight-year-old-blood-disorder-dreams-helping-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/eight-year-old-blood-disorder-dreams-helping-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight-year-old with blood disorder dreams of helping others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ru Abla is your typical 8-year-old. She is a spirited, fun-loving, vibrant little girl with big dreams. But what you might not suspect is that she and her mother, Sandra, make the 1 \u00bd-hour drive from Decatur, Illinois, to Jim and Trudy Maloof St. Jude Affiliate Clinic fat OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a> in Peoria every four weeks. Why?<\/p>\n

Ru was born with an inherited blood disorder called beta thalassemia major, also called Cooley\u2019s anemia. Considered rare in the United States, the blood disorder predominately affects those of Mediterranean, Asian or African ancestry.<\/p>\n

Beta thalassemia major<\/a> prevents the body from making red blood cells. Therefore, Ru requires continued blood transfusions to receive healthy red blood cells.<\/p>\n

Finding the right care<\/h2>\n

When Marc and Sandra Abla were deciding where they would seek treatment for their daughter, Ru, they turned to their good friends, who also had a daughter with the same condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend said, \u2018Oh, you need to check out St. Jude at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n

Since then, the Ablas have been pleased with their decision.<\/p>\n

St. Jude Affiliate Clinic<\/a> has been serving children, teens and young adults in Illinois and neighboring states with cancer and blood-related disorders for over 40 years. It was the nation\u2019s first St. Jude-affiliated clinic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe St. Jude Clinic at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital has been a huge blessing to us, both financially and emotionally,\u201d Sandra said. \u201cRu has had very little trauma or emotional struggles with her treatment because of the way they deliver care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Mary Beth Ross<\/a> \u2013 a pediatric hematologist \u2013 has been caring for Ru since she started treatment at St. Jude.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe listens to our needs and concerns and is constantly looking into new ideas and studies to make treatment even easier,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n

Making treatment fun<\/h2>\n

Because St. Jude caters to children, teens and young adults, the clinic has a unique approach to how care is delivered.<\/p>\n

Depending on the type of treatment, most kids can do arts and crafts, watch movies, play in the playroom or do other interactive activities while receiving their treatments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that Ru isn\u2019t confined to her bed during her transfusions,\u201d Sandra said. \u201cI know some other children with beta thalassemia, who seek treatment at other hospitals, and they are confined to their beds for the duration of their treatment because of hospital policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from Ru needing blood transfusions every four weeks at the clinic in Peoria, she also goes to St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital in Memphis once a year to get an MRI of her heart and liver to check for iron deposits.<\/p>\n

Iron is a natural product of the blood, and the body has no functional way of getting rid of it. So when someone has blood transfusions on a continual basis, they receive extra iron the body doesn\u2019t need. If the body stores too much iron, it could lead to organ failure. Therefore, Ru takes medication to pull the extra iron out of her blood. As a precaution, the MRI checks that there is no iron being stored in her heart and liver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of Dr. Ross\u2019s goals is to have the MRI software available in Peoria to save us the annual trip to Memphis,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n

Ru\u2019s outlook on life is certainly one to learn from. Her infectious smile and upbeat attitude would make anyone\u2019s bad day turn into a good day. When asked what her plans are for the future, Ru said there are so many possibilities. But she ultimately wants to do something to help people someday.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that she grows up happy and healthy, has a strong faith in God and goes after her dreams and what she wants to be,\u201d Sandra said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ru Abla is your typical 8-year-old. She is a spirited, fun-loving, vibrant little girl with big dreams. But what you might not suspect is that she and her mother, Sandra, make the 1 \u00bd-hour drive from Decatur, Illinois, to Jim and Trudy Maloof St. Jude Affiliate Clinic fat OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":2917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[116,223],"tags":[817,695,142],"coauthors":[690],"class_list":["post-2911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pediatrics","category-patient-story","tag-blood","tag-blood-disorder","tag-childrens-hospital-of-illinois"],"yoast_head":"\nEight-year-old with blood disorder dreams of helping others<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ru Abla is your typical kid - despite her blood disorder called beta thalassemia major, also known as Cooley\u2019s anemia.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/eight-year-old-blood-disorder-dreams-helping-others\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eight-year-old with blood disorder dreams of helping others\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ru Abla is your typical kid - 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