Michelle Merrill

This web page was created for Michelle Merrill and her family and friends. It will be to keep everyone updated on her condition and important messages. Thank you for visiting!

Michelle first became ill on December 6, 2011. She was admitted to Sparks Regional Medical Center on December 9. After one week and no definitive diagnosis, Michelle was transferred to the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The diagnosis was finally discovered there. Michelle has hemophagocytic syndrome, also known as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) This can be caused by several things. In adults, it is most often caused by either an infection of some sort, or it is idiopathic, meaning that there is no known cause. In Michelle's case, the current thinking is that we have not found a cause, making hers an idiopathic case. Treatment for Michelle will consist of a special type of chemotherapy for eight weeks.