White blood cells

White blood cells are an important part of our bone marrow. They are the cells that help us fight infections and heal our bodies. A person can not live without white blood cells. After being admitted to the bone marrow transplant unit, Charlotte's white blood cell count has continued to drop. She is now 0. This is an extremely bad situation for Charlotte, because if she gets an infection of any sort, her body can not defend itself and she will get very sick, very fast. The doctors noticed that Charlotte's red blood cell and platelet counts were low prior to discharge, and they also found out that her body was attacking her bone marrow. So, they started her on a steroid to treat the problem. However, as the red blood cells and platelets got better, her white blood cell count continued to plummet to 0. The doctors do not know why. We are, again, in an extremely rare situation.