'A true, strong fighter'

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'A true, strong fighter'

PORTAGE: 11-year-old Bates remains in Indianapolis hospital

fighting leukemia

BY JOYCE RUSSELL

joycer@...

219.762.1397

Munster,IN

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/03/31/news/porter_county/0e236a7c74

1e2763862571420008e4a7.txt

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, March 31, 2006 2:11 AM CST

PORTAGE | Bates has been through more than any 11-year-old

should have to face.

And, still, said his mother, , the only thing he wants is to

come home.

" If it was me, I would have given up a long time ago. He told me

he's not ready to die yet. He just wants to go home, " Bates said

this week from 's bedside at Riley Children's Hospital in

Indianapolis.

has been at Riley since December, when he underwent a bone

marrow transplant to help battle acute myeloid leukemia. He was

diagnosed with the disease Sept. 8, 2004.

Everything looked good after the transplant, Bates said. But then,

, who attended Elementary School before becoming ill,

contracted a fungal infection which attacked both his right arm and

lungs. The infection was the result of a scrape to his right elbow

he received while riding his bicycle before he left for Riley's in

December.

Doctors had to remove some bone in his elbow and some in his right

arm. He also underwent dialysis to filter his blood. He spent 25

days in the intensive care unit battling the aspergillus infection.

Again, the young boy, tagged " the comeback kid " by his doctors, was

doing pretty well. He was on his way to being discharged from

Riley's and move to Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital for

rehabilitation when he became ill again with idiopathic pneumonia

syndrome, a noninfectious form of pneumonia.

He spent two additional weeks in intensive care before being moved

to a regular room at Riley's on Monday.

" He just needs to rest and get strong, " Bates said, adding because

of the time he's spent in bed, his muscles have atrophied. She said

she expects him to be at Riley's at least another month and then

will go to Methodist for rehabilitation for an undetermined amount

of time.

Bates, a school bus driver, who has been at his bedside nearly every

day for the last three months, says that what also needs is to

hear from friends.

" He's just really homesick, " she said. " I have told him over and

over again that he amazes me. He's a true, strong fighter. He's just

tough. "