MERIDIAN, Idaho — A 10-week-old baby from Meridian is in need of a bone marrow donor.
Jackson Field was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an immune deficiency disorder that occurs in about one in 50,000 children, according to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Jackson and his parents - Mariah and Zach - are currently in Salt Lake City to get treatment. Jackson is in the middle of a steroid chemotherapy treatment, and soon, he'll need a bone marrow donor.
"He was looking yellow - is really kind of what set it off for us, and that can be common in newborns," Mariah said. "But for some reason, our instincts were just telling us something isn't right here."
Mariah and Zach Field trusted their instincts with their newborn and took him to get care over Memorial Day weekend. Their pediatrician referred them to the emergency room at St. Luke's Children's in Boise.
"We went to the ER, we were thinking maybe they'll give him some antibiotics. Maybe he has some sort of infection or something," Mariah said. "We would have never imagined it would be this."
That condition turned out to be HLH.
"Jackson's immune system was triggered to turn on by something unknown at this point. And once it's triggered to turn on, it won't turn off," Mariah said. "So, his body very aggressively attacks the infection, but then also continues to attack itself. So what it will do is, it'll attack his liver and spleen "
HLH can lead to organ failure if left untreated.
Jackson is being treated in Salt Lake City, where his family went after being discharged from St. Luke's Children's.
"They have a specialist down here to treat it," Zach said. "He's going through an eight-week steroid chemotherapy treatment. We're about to enter week four of that."
After the steroid chemotherapy treatment, Jackson will need a bone marrow transplant. Jackson's treatment is dependent on getting a match for a bone marrow donor.
"He will need a donor, and it is through BeTheMatch.org," Mariah said. "It's an international database of just amazing people who sign up and volunteer to be donors."
"You sign up, they'll send you a free cheek swab kit, and you just mail it in," Mariah said. "Then you might be matched up with Jackson or somebody else who's in need of this transplant. 'And Be The Match' actually funds all of it, so you won't pay anything out of pocket."
Jackson's parents have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for medical expenses and recovery, as well as the 100 days they'll have to spend in Salt Lake after the transplant.
Jackson's parents say they plan on getting the bone marrow transplant when he's 6 months old, because the procedure is risky for infants. That way, they have a few months to find a donor match.
Jackson's family says finding a donor is the most important thing right now.
"That is our hope, and that is our prayer that he flies through this treatment, but it is just a very unpredictable disease," Mariah said. "So, all we can do is just pray that we get through smoothly, and Jackson continues to do as well as he is right now."
You can find more information about becoming a bone marrow donor at BeTheMatch.org. Jackson's GoFundMe page can be found here.
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