FORT WORTH — The last we saw Cline McMurry, it was Halloween and he had a lot to say.
Now it's close to Christmas and he's a bit withdrawn. Things have been rough in his fight against a rare blood disorder.
"This is wearing on him, for sure," said his mother, Elena.
Cline's immune system is fragile, and even a small tummy bug can send him to the hospital.
On Wednesday, his mom gave up on the hope that his immune system would improve, something that would let Cline return to school and be around other children.
"We put the final, signed-on-the-dotted-line to start homebound services," Elena McMurry said. "We've been corresponding and doing homework at home, but it's kind of acknowledgement that he's not going to be back at school this year. So, that's hard."
He's a sick little boy who has touched the hearts of North Texans. In November, 7,000 people — including Channel 8 viewers — were screened to be a potential bone marrow donor for Cline. The family is still waiting to see if there is a match in that grouping.
Looking for good news, two weeks ago, the family flew aboard a donated medical transport jet to see blood disorder experts in Seattle.
"We definitely were hoping that there was this one thing that we were missing that was going to be the answer," Elena McMurry said. "That wasn't the case,"
This Saturday there will be another marrow registration drive at Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth from 4 to 7 p.m. It's open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 55 who is in good health. All that's needed is a simple swab inside the cheek to take a sample.
If you can't make it, you can get a free test kit sent to you by visiting the Delete Blood Cancer website.
Cline's family is hoping for a match. But you could also be a match for one of 14,000 others who are waiting for a transplant, too.
More than 7,000 of you tried and samples are still being tested but so far there is no bone-marrow match for Cline, a young boy with a rare blood disorder. News 8's David Schechter follows up on his story. WFAA
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