NYC Girl, 6, Begins Recovery After Marrow Transplant

A 6-year-old Brooklyn girl fighting a deadly form of leukemia began what her mother called her "whole new life" after doctors gave her the bone marrow transplant she so desperately needed.

Jasmina Anema has been hospitalized since she was diagnosed in January. On Thursday, she slept through the more than two-hour procedure.

"I'm ecstatic and relieved," the girl's mother, Theodora Anema, told The Daily News. "It's been so many months of waiting and it's finally coming to an end.

"She'll now have two birthdays. Her original birthday and June 11, when her whole new life starts."

When the young girl awoke and flashed two thumbs up, her mother asked her to talk to a reporter.

"I'm too hungry," she told The Daily News.

The transplant capped months of pain and uncertainty for the kindergartner. Her plight prompted more than 7,000 people to register as marrow donors.

Because Jasmina's donor wasn't a perfect match, there's still a chance her weakened body might reject the bone marrow.

But if all goes well in these next few critical weeks, Jasmina could be home in a month. today she starts what doctors hope will be her last round of chemotherapy after 11 previous sessions, as well as a dozen doses of radiation, according to the News.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us