Success Stories: Granton Bayless

After suffering through many conditions and given several diagnoses, baby Granton Bayless was finally cured through the use of stem cells from cord blood.

In 2008, six-month-old Granton Bayless was admitted to the emergency room in a Kansas hospital. He was diagnosed with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and bilateral pneumonia, and was air-lifted to two different hospitals over the next several days in order to treat his conditions.

The disease pierced Granton’s lungs, and air was leaking out, forcing doctors to put him on a respirator. Medical staff also had to paralyze Granton, so the invasive treatments wouldn’t harm him, while also conserving as much oxygen as possible.

Eventually, Granton was diagnosed with SCIDS (severe combined immunodefiency syndrome). This condition is rare, but weakens the body’s immune system, and reduces healthy cell count. A stem cell transplant is currently the only cure for patients with SCIDS.

Doctors found two suitable stem cell matches – one from bone marrow and another from donated umbilical cord blood. The cord blood stem cells were used, since medical staff believed they would be safer for Granton over time.

He underwent a transplant in June 2008, and was pronounced cured shortly after.

Read more about the benefits of cord blood here.