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Last week, on the first anniversary of the transplant, Yeager finally felt justified medically in pronouncing Keone cured. "The cord blood cells are now fully operational, making all healthy blood cells in Keone," he says. Equally important, there was no sign of sickle cells and no need for more transfusions. That, of course, was a coup for the doctors, who believe their widely watched experiment could benefit other severely ill sickle-cell kids who can't find matching donors for conventional transplants. Indeed, Yeager believes using umbilical cells could increase the number of successful transplants 25% to 40%.
For Keone and his family, the doctor's pronouncement is the best Christmas gift they could imagine. He should be able to ease off on his weekly hospital visits soon, return to school as early as next semester, stop taking immunosuppressants in a year or so and maybe even start enjoying the sort of childhood roughhousing he was always denied. Of course, at 4 ft. 11 in., he probably won't be playing football, but he has been gaining weight, undoubtedly helped by the cookies and cakes he's been baking (and sampling) in the hospital kitchen in preparation for his chosen career as a chef.
--Reported by Sylvester Monroe/Atlanta