Student back in school after battle with sickle cell disease

LINCOLN, Mont. (AP) - Caden Nephew has been a patient friend.

The second-grader has had to wait nearly two years to play at school with his best friend, Trayson Harrell. He Skyped with him, sent photos and even went to visit him at a Denver hospital.

On May 1, though, the wait was over. The day marked 8-year-old Harrell’s first day back at Lincoln Elementary after a bone marrow transplant and a “boost” that has left him all but officially cured from sickle cell disease. May 1 was day 656 since his first transplant and day 329 since the boost, where doctors took only the cells Harrell needed, rather than a full transplant.

“I finally can play with my best friend outside more than usual,” Nephew said.

Harrell, who has been weaning off of immunosuppressive medications since late December, has had play dates with Nephew, and even got to go to his house a couple of weeks ago, but May 1 was another big first.

“I got to see all my friends at recess,” he said.

Harrell’s body hasn’t had enough healthy red blood cells to carry the oxygen needed throughout his body. Most people’s red blood cells are flexible and round, but Harrell’s were rigid, sticky and shaped like sickles or crescent moons. His cells would get stuck in small blood vessels, slowing or blocking blood flow and oxygen to parts of his body. He couldn’t get too hot or too cold, preventing him from going out to recess many days during kindergarten.

In May though, Trayson was greeted with a gym full of kids for an assembly to celebrate his milestone. The second-grade class sang Rachel Platte’s “Fight Song” and Principal Jon Konen announced to the family that Harrell has won a $1,000 School Administrator’s Youth Endowment award to go toward Herrell’s medical costs.

Harrell, who was videoed as part of a Lincoln student council project, even gave the school a lesson on perseverance.

“I think in the dictionary, his face should be right there (next to the word),” Konen said to the assembly.

“Perseverance means to me to never give up,” Harrell says in the video. “I have had to have perseverance my whole life.”

He gave them examples, too: “Lots of pain, shots, losing my hair twice.”

“I never give up until it is over. I just keep my eyes on the prize.”

The day ended with Harrell and Nephew back on the playground, chasing each other around.

No one would have ever guessed he was nervous about the day.

Harrell’s kindergarten teacher, Laura Matteson, has been tutoring him at home each night.

“He was initially nervous,” Matteson said. “But then I told him, ’You have worked hard and you have done everything they have done. And you are ready.’”

“It was great. There was lots of excitement and giggling,” said Susanne Halley, Harrell’s second-grade teacher. “The kids were very excited to have him back.”

Konen commended the Great Falls community for all their support of their little Lincoln Lion.

“This community has been phenomenal,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to see a whole school surround a kid and support them through their hardest time.”

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Information from: Great Falls Tribune, https://www.greatfallstribune.com