If you stop to think about it for a minute, Adelyn Troutman of Ahwatukee has had needles stuck in her little arms far more times than any 2-year-old should – 33 to be exact, the number of blood transfusions she’s received since she was born.
For Addy, those transfusions make the difference between life and death.
As each month wears on, her liveliness seeps quickly from her.
She takes more naps, rapidly loses her child-like enthusiasm and becomes paler with each passing day.
Eventually, she must be taken to the hospital, where doctors stick a needle in her little arm to give her a blood transfusion. Otherwise, she will die.
Addy suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Diamond-Blackfan anemia, which prohibits her body from making red blood cells.
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