![]() “We bought her a hearing aid right away.” Solene Rodrigue poses for her 1-year-old photo. “She had severe hearing loss because of the cardiac arrest as a baby,” said Suzanne. The pediatrician recommended a hearing evaluation. Most of the time, she pointed and shouted when she wanted something. She walked at age 15 months but as time went on, she only said a few words. Solene remained healthy for a period, returning to New York for monthly check-ups and eventually transitioning to a pediatrician closer to her home. She started eating solid food, which was very difficult since she had never swallowed any solid food since she was born.” “She fought through it again and finally we could bring her home,” said Suzanne. Solene developed pneumonia after the BMT but, just as she had as an infant, she pushed through the sickness, determined to survive. “She was 8 months old, and she weighed only 8 pounds.” We needed to disinfect ourselves and wear special clothing to go inside the room to see her,” said Suzanne. “They put Solene in a sterilized room so she would not catch germs. She recalls the isolation procedures required at the hospital and the frail state of her daughter. To help her understand the complicated medical terms, Suzanne, a native French speaker, carried an English dictionary with her to New York. “She is one of the first ones in the world that had a successful bone marrow transplant,” said Suzanne. Members of the medical team join the family. Suzanne Rodrigue holds daughter Solene and embraces daughter Roxanne, who provided the lifesaving stem cells to her sister. Roxanne is a perfect human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match with Solene, and that match greatly increased the chances of success of the BMT. In June 1977, Solene received a BMT at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York using cells donated from her older sister, Roxanne. A nurse visited the home weekly to administer intravenous immunoglobulin to Solene, who battled thrush (yeast infection of the throat and/or mouth) as she awaited her transplant. She would likely die from infection unless treated with a bone marrow transplant (BMT).Īfter many weeks at the University of Connecticut Hospital where doctors worked to clear her pneumonia, Solene returned home with her family, who had strict orders to not let her come into contact with other people. As a result of SCID, a rare and life-threatening primary immunodeficiency, Solene couldn’t produce the cells necessary to form an immune system. “And she lived – it’s a miracle she lived.”ĭoctors diagnosed Solene with a rare form of pneumonia but also with a genetic condition the family had never heard of – ADA-SCID. I called the priest, and I was crying, and the priest said put her in the Lord’s hands, in God’s hands and that reassured me and took the load off my shoulders,” said Suzanne. Solene went into cardiac arrest and doctors said she wouldn’t live more than a few days. The family sought help at an emergency room near their home in Connecticut, and as hospital staff frantically ran tests on the baby, they prepared for the worst. We didn’t know what to do and the doctor was no help,” said Suzanne. “When Christmas came everything went downhill. The holidays arrived and Solene’s health deteriorated. Born with ADA-SCID, Solene Rodrigue weighed 8 pounds when she received her transplant at 8 months old. “I spent every night rocking her and she was crying a lot and I was trying to get her into a comfortable position,” recalls Suzanne. She changed Solene’s diaper constantly to prevent rashes. ![]() “The pediatrician thought it was all in my head.”Īfter a month of watching her baby struggle, Suzanne switched Solene to formula, which only made it worse. “I told the doctor many times, and he said keep trying,” said Suzanne. Suzanne reported the symptoms to her doctor, and he instructed her to continue breastfeeding and assured her it would get better. When Suzanne Rodrigue, Solene’s mother, brought her newborn daughter home from the hospital in October 1976, she appeared healthy, but within days, developed vomiting and diarrhea. Solene, 45, has severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). That strong will to carry on no matter the circumstances, no matter the level of pain has defined Solene since infancy. “You can say I’m pretty tough,” said Solene, who walked around for five days with the injury before seeking help. Solene Rodrigue performs a jump on her horse Liam. The impact had broken her pelvis in two places. ![]() Shaking and nauseous, Solene went to the doctor for x-rays. She felt some pain over the ensuing days but ignored it – until she couldn’t. Solene flew out of the saddle and slammed into the ground on her tail bone. A few years ago, her horse Liam misjudged a jump and broke the gate in half. Solene Rodrigue is an avid equestrian who’s participated in many hunter/jumper competitions.
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