KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A three-year-old Roeland Park boy who couldn’t get the blood test he needed because of the government shutdown, now has an appointment to get his blood drawn, in spite of the national lab closure.
Bo Macan suffers from a life-threatening immune system disorder that makes him very vulnerable to infection and he has spent more than a hundred days this year in the University of Kansas Hospital.
The test of Bo’s antibodies can only be done in a lab at the National Institutes of Health, but the government shutdown closed the lab, and the NIH told KU Hospital not to send Bo’s blood sample. Without the blood sample results, doctors don’t know whether they can start treatment with an IV drug called Rituxan, which could make Bo well enough to get a bone marrow transplant.
Thursday afternoon, FOX 4’s Meryl Lin McKean contacted the offices of Congressman Kevin Yoder and Senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. A spokesperson told us Senator Moran was aware of the situation and was working to see if there’s anything he can do to help.
On Friday, FOX 4 talked to Carolyn Macan, Bo’s mother. She told us that Sen. Moran, (R-Kansas) apparently made arrangements, and called to tell them that Bo will get his blood test after all.
Carolyn told FOX 4 that the blood could be drawn here in Kansas City as early as Monday and then shipped to the National Institutes of Health, which will perform the test.
Even when the lab re-opened, it was expected to take two weeks to run the test. Bo’s mother said the longer the wait, the sicker Bo could become.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update you on Bo’s test and treatment.
Watch the earlier story below:
