Lisa Adkins knew something was wrong when her usually active 9-year-old son, Talon, was not able to keep up with the rest of his football team. “We took him to the pediatrician, and they took his hemoglobin,” Lisa said. The lab results revealed that Talon’s hemoglobin and platelet levels were extremely low. He was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, a disease in which the bone marrow does not make enough blood cells for the body. Talon was rushed to the emergency room and immediately given blood and platelet transfusions. He now receives blood transfusions every one to two weeks and platelet transfusions several times a week. “I just counted the days. I think he has spent 50 days in the hospital since November,” Lisa said. “You can start to tell he needs platelets when he starts bleeding in his mouth. He’ll have blood all over the sheets when he wakes up. But when he gets blood, you’ll see more color on his face. He’ll have more energy.” Talon is undergoing immunosuppressive th...