ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Eleven-year-old Branson Blevins of Robertsdale remains hospitalized in Rome, Italy, where he is receiving follow-up care after a bone marrow transplant intended to treat his Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Branson’s mother, Nichole, who provided the donor cells for the transplant, says her family is “overwhelmed with gratitude” for the outpouring of support that has made the overseas treatment possible.
Branson underwent the transplant in recent weeks and has since developed a serious post-surgical adenovirus infection — a known and potentially severe complication for patients whose immune systems are suppressed after transplant. Nichole and her husband Donald flew to Rome for specialized care when treatment options in the United States were exhausted or denied by insurance, and say medical bills in Italy were quoted at more than $600,000.
In a public message of thanks, Nichole described how fundraisers, prayers and community support carried the family through a period when doctors twice told them there were “no more options” and recommended taking Branson home. “There are simply no words big enough to ever truly express the depth of our gratitude,” she wrote, emphasizing that the family refused to accept a final prognosis and pursued every possible avenue to keep their son alive.
