Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990 TAG: 9004060565
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: WEST COVINA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
Marissa Eve Ayala was delivered Tuesday evening by Cesarean section at Queen of the Valley Hospital to Walnut, Calif., residents Abe and Mary Ayala, whose 18-year-old daughter Anissa suffers from a type of leukemia that can be cured only with a marrow transplant, according to Anissa's doctors.
The baby is healthy and weighed slightly more than six pounds at birth, a doctor said.
In February, Anissa's doctors disclosed that tissue tests indicated the unborn baby's marrow cells were nearly identical to Anissa's and may be able to save her life.
There is a one-in-four chance that siblings with the same parents will have closely compatible bone marrow cells. Marrow transplants from compatible donors have a 70 percent chance of thwarting chronic myelogenous leukemia, the disease afflicting Anissa.
The Ayalas could not be reached Thursday, but doctors confirmed the birth. A news conference to announce the birth was scheduled for today.
"It looked like a perfectly normal, healthy little baby," said Anissa's doctor, pediatric oncologist Patricia Konrad, who visited the family Tuesday night.
Konrad will perform the bone marrow transplant with a team of doctors.
Doctors say bone marrow can be obtained at little risk from an infant who is at least 6 months old.
Marissa's health will be closely monitored to determine the optimum time for a transplant, which will depend largely on the baby's weight, Konrad said.
The Ayalas decided to have a baby after failing to locate a suitable donor.
by CNB