Shortly after Andy’s birth, the Molina Rodríguez family suffered the terrible loss of their older son at 2 years old. According to the doctors in Ecuador, Andy’s brother died from leukemia. When Andy began to suffer the same symptoms as his brother, the doctors decided to refer him to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to participate in a research protocol.
At St. Jude, doctors discovered that Andy did not suffer from leukemia. Both he and his late brother had a genetic disease called Wiskott - Aldrich syndrome, which affects only males and is characterized by recurrent infections, low circulation of blood cells and eczema.
“When I found out about the diagnosis, I was relieved to finally know what my son’s illness really was,” explained Dolores, Andy’s mother. “But at the same time, I felt sad to know that my older son would still be alive if he would have been referred to St. Jude.”
On June 13, 2006, Andy received a bone marrow transplant. Currently, Andy is under medical observation and his mother is still afraid of losing her second child.
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Created by St Jude Patients