Christmas Eve

This man is one of our Christmas Eve miracles. At 1:00 a.m. this morning Ashtyn had another nose bleed despite the fact that she had just received a platelet transfusion 12 hours prior. The problem with bloody noses is a platelet transfusion is needed if it doesn’t stop and there is always a risk for a bad reaction. A bloody nose can also drop her hematocrit, requiring more red blood cell transfusions. Blood transfusions are not only time consuming, but they also raise the iron level in Ashtyn’s blood. Because of all the blood transfusions she’s had in the past her iron level is getting too high so the fewer transfusions the better. Ashtyn always quietly endures everything while I can be outwardly expressive. Enough was enough with the nose bleeds so I contacted her dad to help us get Ashtyn in to see an ENT doctor by morning. He got ahold of this wonderful man, Dr. Amir Allak, who told us to bring Ashtyn in at 11:30 a.m. to his office. When we walked into his empty office, he was waiting for us with the most calm, friendly, and laid back demeanor. Ashtyn’s septum in her left nostril was red, tender, and irritated. It’s no wonder her poor nose was having problems. There were two spots that showed dilated vessels that needed to be chemically cauterized. Within 30 minutes, Ashtyn’s nose was fixed. We were then educated on how to best treat any future nose bleeds. When we thanked Dr. Allak for being so flexible and kind, he of course said, “It’s no big deal at all.” To us it was a huge deal. On our way home I ran into a super busy Target to grab a last minute gift. The lines were packed. A gentleman in front of me asked, “Is that all you have? You can go in front of me,” I responded, “Thank you so much! My daughter is waiting in the car so that would be awesome!!!” These men are heroes who show that selfless, thoughtful, small acts of kindness make a huge impact. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!