Michael, Katie, and Sherrie before leaving to the hospital to start Katie's chemotherapy treatment.
Michael and Sherrie Cramer adopted their daughter Katie from an orphanage in the province of Guangxi, China. They went on to adopt two more babies from China.
On June 19, 2006, at age 12, Katie was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. She completed four of five rounds of chemotherapy and was discharged from the hospital six months later.
On April 30, 2007, she was readmitted to the hospital with heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy caused by the chemotherapy drugs. The Lord quickly healed her heart and it returned to near normal function, with the use of a few medications and dedicated doctors.
For the next few years Katie lived pretty much a normal teenage life. Sadly, on April 9, 2010 at age 16, doctors discovered Katie had a relapse of leukemia. Undergoing a stem cell transplant, doctors have determined she needs a bone marrow transplant. To date through the National Marrow Donor Program and the Asian American Donor Program no tissue matches have been found.
At this point, time is critical. Doctors have said Katie has a window of 5 weeks that would be optimal for a bone marrow transplant. The Cramer family is in need of resources and your prayers to meet this challenge. Doctors have informed Katie’s mother that the best chance of finding the person with a tissue match is in Katie’s birth place – Guangxi, China.
July 1, 2010, Sherrie Cramer is flying to the province Guangxi, China. She is going to start a donor drive and look for relatives of her daughter Katie. There are no detailed birth records to go by. She only knows approximately where and the month/year Katie was born. We are praying women who gave up their babies to the orphanage at that time will hear Katie’s plight and come forward. Finding Katie’s birth mother could bring a 25% possibility of a tissue match. A miracle will bring a random donor match from the area or anywhere in the world.
Michael and Sherrie are so grateful to God for the support they have had and continue to receive. If you would like to help you can do so any number of ways. You can register to donate bone marrow through the Asian American Donor Program or the National Marrow Donor Program, make a gift contribution, and help with any media and political contacts in the USA or China. Please see the links below:
Contact Michael and Sherri Cramer by clicking “Contact” at the top of the page.