Teddy's transplant complete in 9 minutes

Jenny and Brad Christiansen waited three years and 42 days for their son Teddy to have the chance of a normal life.

Their hopes now hinge on the success of a nine-minute bone-marrow transplant Teddy got Friday at the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital in Minneapolis.

"It's over, and now we have to wait," said Jenny Christiansen from Teddy's hospital bedside.

The Christiansens, formerly of Des Plaines and now living in Union, Ill., had been preparing themselves since March for the possibility Teddy might need a bone-marrow transplant.

The Des Plaines community rallied around the family and raised funds to help with Teddy's medical bills.

Teddy, 3, the surviving half of prematurely born twins, was diagnosed last spring with a rare genetic disorder - dyskeratosis congenita - causing bone marrow failure, or the inability of marrow to produce enough blood cells. His rare variant of the disorder, known as Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome, could lead to him developing leukemia or solid organ cancer.

During Friday's procedure, Teddy's body was stripped of his own bone marrow. Then stem cells extracted from his perfect bone marrow donor match - an anonymous 45-year-old American woman - were dripped into his body through a central line.

Considering everything Teddy has already gone through since birth, the transplant was almost a breeze.

Teddy was 1 pound, 7 ounces at birth and spent seven weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. He fought off pertussis, a respiratory infection commonly known as whooping cough, after his twin brother, Kenny, succumbed to it at 3 months old. Teddy also has had hernia surgery and three laser eye surgeries.

Teddy slept through the transplant in the arms of his grandfather Tom Christiansen, a former Des Plaines alderman.

"He woke up smiling, happy," said grandmother Jan Christiansen, a social worker for the village of Wheeling. "It was a very touching, emotional day for all of us."

It could take up to 14 days before doctors know whether the donor's stem cells take to Teddy's body. Until then, Teddy is surviving on blood transfusions.

"We're waiting to see if they are engrafting in his bones and making blood," Jenny Christiansen said calmly. "It could be as long as 28 days. He has taken it so well, which in turn has made it so much easier for all of us. He has been absolutely amazing. He is happy and active. He has shown no signs of slowing down."

Yet, the Christiansens know harder days lie ahead.

"His immune system is basically completely wiped out right now, so it's a very dangerous point," Jenny Christiansen said.