My name is P.B. I am the father of H (15 Yrs.). Our story begins in the fall of 2009 when H was hospitalized at LeBonheur due to complications of the Flu, pneumonia, gaining 18 pounds of fluid in a week and a chronic cough. The first two weeks of her hospitalization, we lived our lives hour by hour, depending on the latest lab results and doctor visits. Teams of various department physicians ran tests varying from one end of the spectrum to the other trying to give her a diagnosis. They thought she suffered from TTP (Thombolytic Thombocytopenia PurPura), or Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. They have given her a differential diagnosis of the latter (aHUS) as she demonstrates some of the symptoms, though missing some key symptoms to make the definitive diagnosis.

After about a week at LeBonheur, H’s physicians decided to begin with Plasmapheresis and we first met Ms. Michelle Harris. At the beginning, we had Plasmapheresis everyday while in the hospital, and then the treatments decreased to every other day, then three days a week, down to two and are presently at one treatment per week. The frequency of her treatments has been based upon her lab results. Michelle gave up some of her weekends and some of her days off to come and do H’s treatments as there were only two people that were qualified to perform the plasmapheresis. Michelle’s magnetic personality and uncanny ability to put H at ease enamored us all. Her devotion to provide excellent care to not only H but the whole family has been such a stabilizing force in our “process”. She has been available to answer questions at all times, and is very prompt on returning communication through text messages and e-mail. Several times through these past few weeks of winter weather, Michelle has contacted us to see if we could make it to Memphis. (We live in Milan, TN and it takes us about 2 hours to get to the hospital.) She came in on her day off just this week to give H her plasmapheresis treatment as the roads were going to be too treacherous to drive the long distance the next day. In the beginning of our ordeal, she helped us understand the processes of getting ordered donations set up at the blood bank. As a result, friends- and friends of friends- from Texas to Florida and every state in between were able to give blood and plasma to H. To date, she has used approximately 160 Liters of plasma for her treatments. Michelle has been a wonderful provider of advice and information. She has communicated with H’s doctors to coordinate her treatments based on problem solving and clinical reasoning in ways that only a seasoned nurse would know how to.

In short, our whole experience at LeBonheur was wonderful. Everyone was competent and compassionate, but Ms. Michelle has made a very hard situation easier to bear by her humor and dedication to Hannah’s needs. She is not only a wonderful nurse, but has become a trusted friend of our whole family.