Facing the Unexpected <\/strong><\/h2>\nAudrey was born in Walnut Creek, Calif., healthy and full term. But at just 3 months old, she developed pneumonia. Instead of recovering, she began a cycle of recurring infections and emergency room trips. After months of uncertainty and escalating concern, her family was referred to Packard Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the reality of Audrey\u2019s situation brought Lyndsay and her husband, John, to their knees.<\/p>\n
Packard Children\u2019s specialists diagnosed Audrey with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening immune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the body\u2019s own organs. In Audrey\u2019s case, an extraordinarily rare genetic anomaly caused the disease.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/lpfch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/June_2025_Bass_Center_692-smaller-UPDATED-200x300.jpg\")
Lindsay fixes Audrey’s hair during a visit to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA stem cell transplant was Audrey\u2019s best chance of survival.<\/p>\n
\u201cStem cell transplant, also known as bone marrow transplant, is the main treatment for HLH,\u201d explains pediatric stem cell specialist Orly Klein, MD. \u201cIt replaces a patient\u2019s broken immune system with a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could receive a transplant, Audrey\u2019s care team had to quiet her immune system\u2019s relentless attack using chemotherapy, steroids, and a novel antibody. At just over a year old, she underwent her first stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor.<\/p>\n
It did not take.<\/p>\n
Her body rejected the transplant, and complications followed: kidney failure, respiratory distress, pancreatitis, insulin-dependent diabetes, and the need for regular hemodialysis.<\/p>\n
There were days when Lyndsay and John didn\u2019t know if Audrey would make it.<\/p>\n
Stanford experts in stem cell transplantation, nephrology, kidney transplantation, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, endocrinology, dialysis, and nutrition came together to bring their best thinking and care to Audrey\u2019s case. It was coordinated, multidisciplinary care at its most urgent and most personal.<\/p>\n
And for Lyndsay and John, care extended beyond medicine.<\/p>\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/lpfch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/June_2025_Bass_Center_748x-smaller-UPDATED-1-300x191.jpg\")
Audrey is now back home with her family, but she needs to return to Packard Children’s Hospital for hemodialysis treatments.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\nDuring the hardest times, small routines helped steady the couple. They took daily walks through the hospital halls, stopping to say hello to the small mice statues and admiring the Lego models of iconic Stanford buildings. These moments, however simple, created light in an overwhelming time.<\/p>\n
Audrey\u2019s visits from chaplains, child life specialists, and music therapists, along with trips to the hospital library, became anchors.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single day we would look forward to our music therapy time with Emily, stories with Vivian the librarian, and our child life time with Joy,\u201d Lyndsay says. \u201cThey made such an impact. They brought smiles into an otherwise very dismal room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next six months, Audrey\u2019s care team helped her grow stronger and prepared her for a second transplant.<\/p>\n
This time, the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation team gave Audrey her mom\u2019s immune system in what\u2019s called a haploidentical (half identical) transplant. Because Lyndsay\u2019s immune cells were genetically familiar, they were less likely to trigger another rejection. The team also used a newly approved chemotherapy regimen that was less toxic, especially important for Audrey\u2019s already fragile kidneys.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving that brand-new chemotherapy with less toxicity empowered us to use drugs that were easier on Audrey\u2019s failing kidneys and helped us succeed,\u201d says Klein.<\/p>\n
This time, the transplant worked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite all that has happened, our experience at Packard Children\u2019s Hospital has been wonderful, especially with the critical care team, since we spent her darkest days with them,\u201d Lyndsay says. \u201cBut we got close to all of her care teams, who became like family.\u201d<\/p>\n
After nearly two years of hospitalizations, Audrey went home with a functioning immune system.<\/p>\n
Today, Audrey is 6 years old\u2014though physically she is closer in size to an 18-month-old. She requires hemodialysis treatments four times a week to help her ailing kidneys. Because she is there so often, a teacher joins her to ensure she has an opportunity to learn, even while receiving care. The goal is for her to grow big enough to one day receive a kidney transplant, also from her mother, freeing her from dialysis and opening the door to greater independence.<\/p>\n
A philanthropically funded clinical trial supporting patients who receive both stem cell and kidney transplants from the same donor has informed Audrey\u2019s care plan. Research like this, supported by donors, is shaping new standards of care for medically complex children.<\/p>\n
Audrey receives ongoing care from endocrinology, nephrology, gastroenterology, and nutrition. Her treatment plan includes a continuous insulin pump, growth hormones, and specialized nutrition support. Through this coordinated approach, she is gaining strength, resilience, and momentum toward her next milestone.<\/p>\n
Three years out from her stem cell transplant, Lyndsay describes her daughter as tough. Audrey takes daily injections without flinching. She loves Disney music\u2014of course, \u201cLet It Go\u201d is played on repeat. She dances. She embraces life and adores her baby sister, Vivienne.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the best big sister, so loving and patient,\u201d Lyndsay says.<\/p>\n
Her survival has given her parents a new perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re getting ready to have a baby, you just assume that your baby\u2019s going to be totally healthy,\u201d Lyndsay reflects. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole other world for medically complex children that I\u2019ve learned about. It made me want to get involved in a bigger way and bring awareness about families like ours. To express how thankful we are and to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Philanthropy Matters <\/strong><\/h2>\nAudrey\u2019s family now fundraises in support of Packard Children\u2019s Hospital through the Summer Scamper 5k, Kids\u2019 Fun Run, and Family Festival, which draws nearly 3,000 participants to the Stanford campus each year.<\/p>\n
For Audrey\u2019s family, Scamper is about gratitude and advocacy. Last year, they turned their experience into hope for others by creating Team Audrey and rallying their friends and family to raise more than $13,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me feel like it wasn\u2019t all for nothing,\u201d Lyndsay says of fundraising. \u201cIt\u2019s giving back to a hospital that has been very important to us and is the reason that Audrey is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Sunday, June 21, Audrey will be honored as one of the 2026 Summer Scamper Patient Heroes. Come out and join Audrey and her family at Summer Scamper.<\/p>\n
A stem cell transplant was Audrey\u2019s best chance of survival.<\/p>\n
\u201cStem cell transplant, also known as bone marrow transplant, is the main treatment for HLH,\u201d explains pediatric stem cell specialist Orly Klein, MD. \u201cIt replaces a patient\u2019s broken immune system with a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could receive a transplant, Audrey\u2019s care team had to quiet her immune system\u2019s relentless attack using chemotherapy, steroids, and a novel antibody. At just over a year old, she underwent her first stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor.<\/p>\n
It did not take.<\/p>\n
Her body rejected the transplant, and complications followed: kidney failure, respiratory distress, pancreatitis, insulin-dependent diabetes, and the need for regular hemodialysis.<\/p>\n
There were days when Lyndsay and John didn\u2019t know if Audrey would make it.<\/p>\n
Stanford experts in stem cell transplantation, nephrology, kidney transplantation, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, endocrinology, dialysis, and nutrition came together to bring their best thinking and care to Audrey\u2019s case. It was coordinated, multidisciplinary care at its most urgent and most personal.<\/p>\n
And for Lyndsay and John, care extended beyond medicine.<\/p>\n During the hardest times, small routines helped steady the couple. They took daily walks through the hospital halls, stopping to say hello to the small mice statues and admiring the Lego models of iconic Stanford buildings. These moments, however simple, created light in an overwhelming time.<\/p>\n Audrey\u2019s visits from chaplains, child life specialists, and music therapists, along with trips to the hospital library, became anchors.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single day we would look forward to our music therapy time with Emily, stories with Vivian the librarian, and our child life time with Joy,\u201d Lyndsay says. \u201cThey made such an impact. They brought smiles into an otherwise very dismal room.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the next six months, Audrey\u2019s care team helped her grow stronger and prepared her for a second transplant.<\/p>\n This time, the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation team gave Audrey her mom\u2019s immune system in what\u2019s called a haploidentical (half identical) transplant. Because Lyndsay\u2019s immune cells were genetically familiar, they were less likely to trigger another rejection. The team also used a newly approved chemotherapy regimen that was less toxic, especially important for Audrey\u2019s already fragile kidneys.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving that brand-new chemotherapy with less toxicity empowered us to use drugs that were easier on Audrey\u2019s failing kidneys and helped us succeed,\u201d says Klein.<\/p>\n This time, the transplant worked.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite all that has happened, our experience at Packard Children\u2019s Hospital has been wonderful, especially with the critical care team, since we spent her darkest days with them,\u201d Lyndsay says. \u201cBut we got close to all of her care teams, who became like family.\u201d<\/p>\n After nearly two years of hospitalizations, Audrey went home with a functioning immune system.<\/p>\n Today, Audrey is 6 years old\u2014though physically she is closer in size to an 18-month-old. She requires hemodialysis treatments four times a week to help her ailing kidneys. Because she is there so often, a teacher joins her to ensure she has an opportunity to learn, even while receiving care. The goal is for her to grow big enough to one day receive a kidney transplant, also from her mother, freeing her from dialysis and opening the door to greater independence.<\/p>\n A philanthropically funded clinical trial supporting patients who receive both stem cell and kidney transplants from the same donor has informed Audrey\u2019s care plan. Research like this, supported by donors, is shaping new standards of care for medically complex children.<\/p>\n Audrey receives ongoing care from endocrinology, nephrology, gastroenterology, and nutrition. Her treatment plan includes a continuous insulin pump, growth hormones, and specialized nutrition support. Through this coordinated approach, she is gaining strength, resilience, and momentum toward her next milestone.<\/p>\n Three years out from her stem cell transplant, Lyndsay describes her daughter as tough. Audrey takes daily injections without flinching. She loves Disney music\u2014of course, \u201cLet It Go\u201d is played on repeat. She dances. She embraces life and adores her baby sister, Vivienne.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is the best big sister, so loving and patient,\u201d Lyndsay says.<\/p>\n Her survival has given her parents a new perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re getting ready to have a baby, you just assume that your baby\u2019s going to be totally healthy,\u201d Lyndsay reflects. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole other world for medically complex children that I\u2019ve learned about. It made me want to get involved in a bigger way and bring awareness about families like ours. To express how thankful we are and to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n Audrey\u2019s family now fundraises in support of Packard Children\u2019s Hospital through the Summer Scamper 5k, Kids\u2019 Fun Run, and Family Festival, which draws nearly 3,000 participants to the Stanford campus each year.<\/p>\n For Audrey\u2019s family, Scamper is about gratitude and advocacy. Last year, they turned their experience into hope for others by creating Team Audrey and rallying their friends and family to raise more than $13,000.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes me feel like it wasn\u2019t all for nothing,\u201d Lyndsay says of fundraising. \u201cIt\u2019s giving back to a hospital that has been very important to us and is the reason that Audrey is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n On Sunday, June 21, Audrey will be honored as one of the 2026 Summer Scamper Patient Heroes. Come out and join Audrey and her family at Summer Scamper.<\/p>\nWhy Philanthropy Matters <\/strong><\/h2>\n