Maria Jones
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Adoption, Sickle Cell, and a Baby
My name is Maria. I was born in Maharashtra, India. When I was 3 months old my biological mother gave me up to an orphanage. At 2 1/2 years old I was adopted and moved to the U.S. A few months after this I was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Beta Zero Thalassemia. Throughout my childhood I was in and out of the hospital. However, once I became pregnant with my daughter my health began to decline at a faster rate. I spent over 14 weeks of my pregnancy admitted to the hospital. Since having my daughter my body does not recover from pain crises the same as it used to. I've been admitted to the hospital over a dozen times in the last year and has to have blood exchanges done every few weeks. Just recently I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in my hip and lower back and will need a hip replacement. The doctors want to wait until after I find a donor for the replacement so all the damage can be fixed at once. I hate to admit it, but I'm not getting better. My only treatment option is a stem cell transplant. Without a match my organs will begin to fail within the next couple years. Since my adoption was closed I have no biological relatives that could be my donor. I want to be here to watch my daughter grow up, but I am getting so tired of this fight. My only hope is a stranger that is willing to help.