Nolan

Nolan Naranjo was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia (bone marrow failure) in September 2011. He was only four years old when he was diagnosed. By by the time Nolan’s fifth birthday arrived, seemingly endless biopsies and blood transfusions had not stopped Nolan’s disease from progressing toward Mylodysplastic Syndrome, an even more threatening diagnosis. A bone marrow transplant was imperative for Nolan, but of 9 million registered bone marrow donors, not one was a complete match for him.

Nolan’s doctors determined that he should receive a half match donation from his mother, Jennifer, to be completed on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Texas Children’s Hospital.

Jennifer recalled that when she and Nolan arrived on the BMTU, “His Grace Foundation provided the extra support that is so desperately needed.” The welcoming gift basket, weekly shopping trips, massage therapy, and catered meals made all the difference for their family as Nolan and Jennifer were separated from Nolan’s father and brother during the hospital stay. After his transplant, Nolan had to remain near the hospital for three months, so HGF arranged for him and Jennifer to stay at the Belmont Apartments until they were able to return home.

Nolan loved the delicious pizza place next to the complex and his mom said that the apartment was the “perfect place to heal without worry.”

Nolan celebrated the first anniversary of his transplant in September 2013 and is thriving in every way. He is excelling academically, loves his friends, and enjoys taking golf lessons. Nolan and his family continue to express their gratitude for the care they received from HGF, cherishing the organization as part of the team that carried their family through a trying time, supplementing the stellar medical care Nolan received with the critical physical, emotional, and financial support their family greatly needed.