Monday Miracle – Our why: Faith

Fourteen-year-old Faith Brown was greeted with bubbles and noise makers from exuberant doctors, nurses and staff, as she and her family walked through the pediatrics unit for the last time. Faith had one final job to do before leaving UC Davis Children’s Hospital: She needed to ring the bell! This moment was made possible by the revitalized UC Davis pediatric stem cell transplant (also known as a bone marrow transplant) program. UC Davis Health is the only provider of this specialized service for children in the Sacramento area. In Faith’s case, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of high-risk cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, in early 2024. She had ongoing chemotherapy for six months and needed to be hospitalized during that time to receive treatment. When Faith was offered the opportunity for a stem cell transplant, her family decided it was a lifeline for their daughter that they couldn’t refuse.