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t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 7 11 cookiedelivery.com Sprinkle some yum into your daily routine with warm cookies, delivered. Sebastian will continue to stay in isolation at home for at least three months. He was supposed to leave only for clinic visits three times a week to receive blood or platelet transfusions, but because of a fungal infection he contracted, Romero still takes him to the hospital for treatment every day for four to six hours. It's an exhausting routine traveling back and forth from Katy to the hospital, Romero said, but at least they're home. "We're so thankful that he's been doing so good," she said, her voice a couple octaves higher, as she nuzzled Sebastian's neck and cuddled with him on the sofa in their living room. Over the past four months, Romero and her family's lives took an unex- pected turn because of Sebastian's SCID diagnosis. But Romero, ever the optimist, said she hopes Sebastian's journey will raise more awareness about SCID and inspire others to become bone marrow or cord blood donors. "I know there's a plan and a purpose. I can see that through sharing our story," she said. "If you could go, be a match and sign up, do it. You can save a life. What's better than that? You can be somebody's hero." Romero nuzzles Sebastian at home, one week after his release from Texas Children's Hospital. see your child going through this stuff ... but he's there fighting and we're fighting along with him." A new immune system takes time to grow and be normal, Martinez said. "You need to wait until that immune system is mature enough to be func- tional and able to fight viruses or respond to vaccines," she added. "That usually happens about nine months to a year after the transplant is done." On Wednesday, June 14, Sebastian's doctors delivered some surprising news: His T cell count in his bone mar- row was steadily increasing above opti- mal levels. He was going to be released that afternoon, ahead of schedule. "It was a mix of emotions," Romero said. "You get choked up knowing we're ready to go home, but at the same time, super scared because you've been in this environment where everybody knows they have to protect him." But it was wonderful to have the family back together again. Sebastian's two older siblings could finally shower their baby brother with affection. They had been waiting patiently and loving Sebastian from a distance, but now, they could hug and kiss him. "This is the closest they've all been since he was born," Romero said. You need to wait until that immune system is mature enough to be functional and able to fight viruses or respond to vaccines. That usually happens about nine months to a year after the transplant is done. — CARIDAD MARTINEZ, M.D. Associate clinical director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers Credit: Scott Dalton