Hi, I'm Izzy.

     Actually, I am Isabella Grace Clary. Izzy is a nickname I gave myself while at Boston Children's Hospital for a Bone Marrow Transplant to treat the Aplastic Anemia I had recently developed.

     More about that later. My family & I are putting together this website in order to (try to begin to) thank the countless individuals and groups that have given me so much support through this challenging time. All of the love, wishes, prayers, letters, cards, calls, gifts and visits have helped give me the strength to go through the seemingly endless tests and painful treatments. I appreciate every single thought from each & every one of you.

     Then there is the almost unbelievable amount of financial support I have been so fortunate to have received. There have been so many wonderful people who have donated - individually as well as in support of fund-raising events. This is so helpful as the medical bills just keep coming in, on top of the cost of having my family living near the hospital for almost four months.

      I want to thank my extended family and friends for the beautiful event that they put together at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Cranston. So many friends and all of my cousins  in the same place. It was wonderful to be able to be there with all of you for that event. We all had so much fun I could almost forget what I had been going through - I had come directly from the hospital to this party.

     Many, many more thanks go out to ReFocus for the extraordinary event they held at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet for my benefit. So many baskets, creatively assembled in love by staff & folks, were there to be raffled off. It was deeply moving to have so many friends attend.  Everything about the entire  evening was impressive! Although I could not be there, I was able to peek in through FaceTime while at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. 

     Thank you Uncle Dan for putting together the GiveForward page - it worked out wonderfully. My Aunt Lori & Uncle Dave, their girls (& others) found many ways to raise money for me too. Grampa & Granma Robbie recruited their neighbors to the cause while coming to see me so often. Also thanks to Chris, Kim & Cassie, Aunt Judy, Special Olympics RI , Courtney and the aunts Michele/Michelle.

     I thank all of the wonderful nurses and doctors who have helped me get better. Also, my tutor Susan Masse, has become way more than a teacher, she is part of my family now. Thank you Auntie for visits, gifts & being you. Grammy, I appreciate the countless hours you spent at the hospital and on clinic visits, you were always there for me. My sister Francesse who turned four while I was hospitalized, has had her life turned upside down and still loves me - thank you so much. M0m & Dad - thank you for being there with me every step of the way.

With loving gratitude,

Isabella

(Bella - there is no place we would rather have been than with you through all of this. We love you so much, our beautiful daughter. M&D)

What Is Aplastic Anemia?

Aplastic anemia (a-PLAS-tik uh-NEE-me-uh) is a blood disorder in which the body's bone marrow doesn't make enough new blood cells. Bone marrow is a sponge-like tissue inside the bones. It makes stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets (PLATE-lets).

Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of your body. They also carry carbon dioxide (a waste product) to your lungs to be exhaled. White blood cells help your body fight infections. Platelets are blood cell fragments that stick together to seal small cuts or breaks on blood vessel walls and stop bleeding.

In most cases, (including mine)  geneic testing doesn't give answers and the cause remains unknown. Without treatment severe aplastic anemia is fatal.

National Institutes of Health    Department of Health and Human Services    USA.gov

(click for more info)