Thanks for being a part of Brayton Martin's Team. We appreciate all your love, prayers and support as he battles HLH and a bone marrow transplant.
https://youtu.be/xDnPaiAzzCYBrayton came down with a cold at 7 weeks of age and was taken to his pediatrician twice in that week. We were told he had a common cold and it needed to run its course. Brayton was not improving and we were becoming very concerned.
On January 28th, 2009 Brayton was taken to the emergency room of the Lancaster General Hospital with a high fever and suspicious red spots on his torso and head. From that visit, the nightmare began and Brayton began the fight for his life.
The doctors quickly realized that Brayton was seriously ill and requested a team of doctors from Dupont Children's Hospital in Wilmington, DE come and take Brayton to their facility. At duPont Children's, numerous tests were conducted and they suspected our baby Brayton had Leukemia, a serious infection or was in liver failure. It was soon discovered, Brayton did not have Leukemia but instead he had a rare disorder of the immune system known as Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). HLH affects one out of every one million newborn children. We decide to have Brayton's care transferred from Dupont Children’s to Cincinnati Children's hospital in Cincinnati, OH where the doctors are more familiar with this rare disease.
He required weeks of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant he received on April 23rd, which is the only known cure for HLH. Plagued with complications from the transplant Brayton has spent most of 2009 living in the hospital overcoming many obstacles.
Brayton was finally able to return home to Pennsylvania in late September, 2009 and was cared for by Dupont Children's Hospital as an outpatient. In December 2009, Brayton became very ill again and was flown back out to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was diagnosed with another rare blood disorder called autoimmune hemolytic anemia. This is an uncommon side effect of a bone marrow transplant. He spent another four months in the hospital until he was able to return home again.
Since then Brayton has had weekly visits to Dupont Children’s hospital and has been flown back to Cincinnati for check-ups due to complications. Brayton continues to be followed by Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, he is now 6 years post transplant and continues to fight this long hard battle. He is such an inspiration and a survivor of such a horrible disease. Thank you for your love, support and prayers.
Brayton R. Martin Charitable Fund
Sovereign Bank
820 S. Market Street
Elizabethtown, PA
