Like most people when they get the news, seventh grader Julius Wolfe didn’t see his February 2021 diagnosis of Acute Myleoid Leukemia coming. Nor did he or his family know it would take 84+ units of platelets from Bloodworks Northwest donors, and nine months of inpatient treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital to get him to his lifesaving bone marrow transplant.
But Julius and his family have felt the effect of the low platelet supply over the past few months. “So many different people on that [pediatric oncology] floor obviously need those platelets, so they have to prioritize where those platelets go.”
Now home with his family in Stanwood, WA and past the 100-day post-transplant period when infection vulnerability is highest, Julius is able to sleep with his dogs again, see his best friends, and it looks like he’ll be home for the holidays.
Julius’s story is yet one more that proves how critical donated platelets are to our community’s health. Bone marrow transplants like the one that saved Julius’s life simply wouldn’t be possible without the blood and platelets that Bloodworks donors give every day. But when supplies are low, life for people like him can get pretty scary.
Donating blood and platelets directly helps patients like Julius get back to health. Those patients can’t wait, and neither should you. Make an appointment to donate today.
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