At the age of five, Jamie was diagnosed with severe Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a rare autoimmune disorder that causes very low platelet levels in the blood. The normal range is 150-450 but Jamie’s were in the single digit range for as long as he can remember. Over the years, Jamie had been treated with all conventional medications for ITP, including the removal of his spleen, with little success. Through the Perth Blood Institute, Jamie was able to join a clinical trial to try a new medication which has markedly improved his condition.

“The research conducted at the Perth Blood Institute gives patients like me hope that a condition I have had to live with all my life may one day be a thing of the past. There are a lot of people out there far worse off than I, which is what makes this type of research so vitally important.”

Because of the clinical trial, Jamie has had some good results and no longer suffers from the bleeding gums, which previously he would frequently awake to in the middle of the night and improved a part of his life that was very difficult for him. Despite his great progress, Jamie is still living with the disorder and hopes that further research from the Perth Blood Institute may further improve his condition, and that of other patients.

“The staff are all great and a pleasure to deal with, and I would like to acknowledge and support the expertise of Dr. Baker and the Perth Blood Institute team in the care of people with blood disorders.”