Kahlil Washington, age 9, was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as a newborn and has received ongoing treatment at Levine Children’s Hospital ever since. Over the years, Kahlil has had many pain crises and several hospitalizations at Levine Children’s, but his care team has worked hard to manage his sickle cell disease so he could stay out of the hospital and enjoy a normal childhood as much as possible.
Recently, Kahlil underwent a successful bone marrow transplant, a major medical procedure which kept him in the hospital for 45 days, and is now cured of his sickle cell disease. His older sister, Kaavya, age 14, happily volunteered to be his donor and gave Kahlil the greatest gift of all – the gift of health.
Pictured: Kahlil (center) with his siblings.
To show their appreciation for the compassionate care Kahlil has received throughout the years, the Washington family organized a fundraiser for Levine Children’s Hospital in September 2020. On September 25, Kahlil’s father, Tyris, hosted a Facebook live concert, with help from The House That Rocks and Keller Williams of Ballantyne, and accepted donations from listeners.
“For several weeks, my family and I have experienced firsthand how difficult it is to be by your child’s side and hold on with faith, love, and hope. We are blessed by a world-class bone marrow transplant team at Levine Children’s Hospital right here in Charlotte and are forever grateful to them for changing our son’s life,” shared Tyris.
The community event raised more than $1,000 to “help kids and families bravely fighting chronic life-threatening diseases” at Levine Children’s Hospital.
Pictured (left to right): Michael W. Kent, MD, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Levine Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders, Mili Washington, Kahlil Washington, Tyris Washington and Tara McAteer, LCSW, ACSW, OSW-C, Levine Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders.