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Hospital staff help patient celebrate end of treatment at Johns Hopkins
Catherine Hawley
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - He has been battling a rare disorder for 21-years, visiting the hospital every three-weeks for life-saving treatments.
However, this Pinellas County man has gotten much more than medical care; he gained a second family.
T.J. Redding has been a fighter since birth. He has XLA, a rare, inherited immunodeficiency disorder.
“If anything, my sickness made me stronger,” he said. “My body doesn’t produce white blood cells to fight off infections.”
To stay alive, T.J. needed infusions. He has been a patient at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital since he was 6-weeks-old.
“We are contagious to him, so anything infectious he can catch, so what he comes in for are antibodies,” said Registered Nurse, Leslie Robilio.
Every three weeks, T.J. comes to the infusion center, spending about 6-hours getting treatment. He met Leslie when he was four-years-old, building trust as his nurse, and becoming almost like a second mother.
“T.J. and I have a very special bond, we really do,” she said. “When his mom was sick with cancer, I just might sit there with him, or if he wanted to talk we would talk, advice about the girlfriend, about school.”
She lifted T.J. up through hard times, even depression when it seemed like his disease had won.
“When I found out I got the tumors, that’s like, that’s what really broke me down, you know, cuz I just thought it was the end,” T.J. said.
He says his family and the nurses saved him.
Going to the hospital is what keeps T.J. healthy, but it also makes him stronger as a person.
“The feeling that I got there I don’t get anywhere else, that feeling is irreplaceable,” T.J. said. “That’s why I’m gonna miss it so much, and I’m gonna miss the nurses.”
Last month, T.J. turned 21 and had his final infusion at the pediatric hospital. His tribe of nurses marked the day with balloons, celebration, and a conga-line escorting him out of the infusion center for the last time. It was a bittersweet and emotional day for T.J. as well as the nurses who all watched him grow up.
“It was more of sadness, I was sad to leave because they were family,” said T.J.
“There were tears from him, me, his family, the other nurses,” Leslie said. “It's a happy thing for him, you know, but a scary thing for him and his family.”
T.J needs to continue getting infusions for the rest of this life, and he is transitioning to getting the treatment at home. He also plans to get his GED and focus on the future.