The latest Backstreet Hit
From: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/automagic/news/2000-07-29/NWStwins29072900.html
Jonatan Fonseca knows the songs, the videos, and now. . . . one of the Backstreet Boys.
Orlando native Howie Dorough visited Jonatan on Friday at Florida Hospital, where the 6-year-old leukemia patient recently got a bone marrow transplant with his identical twin brother as donor.
Hospital officials arranged the visit through Dorough`s mother. She called her son Friday after he flew into Orlando and prompted him to make the surprise visit to Jonatan.
The Backstreet star came straight to the hospital, drawing nurses from other wards, children of physicians and awe from the Fonseca boys. The singer told Jonatan he is lucky to have David on his side.
"He`s a good brother, huh?" Dorough asked Jonatan. "He`s your best friend in the whole world, isn`t he?"
The normally chatty boys were a little shy but quickly scooped up the autographed photos, hugs and handshakes Dorough offered.
"He`s so happy," said mom, Elba Fonseca, who was celebrating her birthday on Friday. "This is the best gift God has ever given me - Jonatan`s recuperation."
The Sanford boy was diagnosed with leukemia in January 1999. Doctors got the disease to recede with chemotherapy for a while, but the illness returned this year.
Leukemia, which causes the uncontrolled growth of abnormal blood cells, is a common form of childhood cancer. Doctors thought Jonatan would have a better chance of beating the disease for good with the transplant.
To do so, they gave Jonatan strong doses of chemotherapy and radiation to kill the cancerous cells in his bone marrow. Then they collected healthy blood cells from David, and transfused them into Jonatan on July 11.
The rest happened naturally. Jonatan`s cancerous cells died off. His brother`s healthy cells took hold. On the ninth day after the transplant, Jonatan was out of bed and delivering juice drinks to his neighboring patients.
"Jonatan did extremely well," said Dr. John Hiemenz, the Florida Hospital physician who oversaw the transplant. "This is not unusual for children. They typically bounce back much quicker than adults."
Jonatan is scheduled to return home today with his mom and father, Pablo Fonseca, who works as a plumber at Universal Orlando.
Because he was doing so well, Jonatan moved Monday from the hospital to the nearby Ronald McDonald House. But he came down with a fever Thursday and was sent back to the hospital.
When it receded quickly, doctors decided Jonatan would be ready to go home today.
"If all our patients did as well as Jonatan, our jobs would be very easy," said Dr. John R. Edwards, director of the bone marrow transplant program at Florida Hospital`s Walt Disney Memorial Cancer Institute.
As his recovery continues, Jonatan will have to spend the next three to six months taking it easy at home. Because his immune system has been weakened, he is susceptible to illnesses and can`t be around lots of other people.
No matter to Jonatan, who said playing with David is his No. 1 priority when he gets home.
The boys like to wrestle, jump around in karate bouts and set up their entourage of stuffed animals for pretend parties. The music? That`s right. The Backstreet Boys.
"I`m very glad I`m going home," Jonatan said.
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