ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Two-year-old Clementine is finally home after her miraculous recovery.
She got the all-clear from her doctors after spending 16 months at the Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis.
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Clementine is just one of 10 people who have been diagnosed with a rare condition, a mutation to the TLR8 gene. Clementine’s mom Tanner Blackham said it’s surreal being back.
“We left here feeling pretty sure that we were going to leave with one healthy child and one child that had passed and now to drive home, with two healthy toddlers in the back of our car was the best feeling ever,” said Tanner Blackham, Clementine’s mom.
We’ve been following Clementine’s story since she was 8 months old. Her family was originally expecting to stay in St. Louis for about three months.
“Through those 100 days, those were probably the hardest and scariest days where we did her chemo and radiation and her transplant,” said Blackham.
Clementine received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor in Europe. The family was planning to come home around this time last year, but she got a cold, setting them back an entire year.
“After that setback with the cold, we kind of played this up and down game of every day we would give thanks that she was alive but fear for the rest of the day,” said Blackham.
Blackham has been documenting their journey online. They weren’t sure Clementine was going to make it. There were months of uncertainty. In the last few months, Blackham said they got good news. Clementine’s labs have been stable, and she is expected to live a long life.
Clementine’s dad Tim Blackham said they really appreciate all the support from the community. They are also very grateful for Clementine’s doctor.
“Our doctor who is an amazing soul, he cured the uncurable,” said Blackham.
Right now, Clementine remains in isolation and is still on many medications. She will have to go to St. Louis every two months for follow-up treatments. Blackham said they hope Clementine’s story helps the next family.
“The next family isn’t so in the dark about what this diagnosis looks like or the outcome of this diagnosis could be,” said Blackham.
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