Our Stories
Healthier Children. A Better World.™
Meet Our Hero: Henri
Henri watches Treehouse, plays with his siblings, goes swimming, boating and travels with his family. All of these activities were put on hold when he endured long hospital stays, numerous ultrasounds, blood transfusions, chemotherapy and even a blood and marrow transplant.
When Henri was three, his parents noticed something on his wrist that looked like an insect bite or a scrape. They then found a lump under his arm. Doctors referred him to the Infectious Disease clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children.
Henri, Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD)
Doctors at SickKids began an aggressive treatment protocol. Shortly after starting treatment they had a hunch that the infection could be a symptom of a much more serious underlying problem. A multidisciplinary team comprised of infectious disease specialists, immunologists and paediatricians met with Henri's mom. They explained that her son suffered from an inherited condition called Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD).
CGD affects one in 250,000 people. It is characterized by the body's inability to kill certain bacteria and fungi found in the environment that is generally safe to the rest of the population.
Henri's parents learned that he'd be on precautionary antibiotics for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, further genetic testing proved Henri suffered from a more serious version of the disease, one that required a bone and marrow transplant. Luckily, Henri's sister Morgana was a perfect match and gave her brother her life-saving gift.
Although Henri, now four, is no longer an inpatient at SickKids, he often visits to have his blood count taken, to undergo follow-up scans and to attend specialty clinics.
Henri approaches each day and every challenge with a smile on his face. He has made many friends throughout the hospital who embrace him each time he returns.
The Primary Immunodeficiency (PID) program at The Hospital for Sick Children is the largest centre of its kind in Canada and provides consultation services to more than 2,000 outpatients, like Henri, referred from physicians and hospitals across the country.
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