9-year-old subject of blood drives hosted by hotels dies

Lynn Doan

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 | 9:38 a.m.

Nine-year-old leukemia patient Chrissy Nelson died Wednesday morning after a series of complications from her bone marrow transplant in March.

Chrissy was on her way to a CAT scan when she suffered a heart attack and didn't recover, her mother, Ronnie Nelson, said. Chrissy's body had been rejecting her newly transplanted bone marrow since mid-July, resulting in high fevers, fluid retainment and kidney failure, she said.

"They (doctors) couldn't keep up with all the problems," Nelson said.

In January, Las Vegas hotels, including the Palms and Rio, teamed up with United Blood Services to host blood drives in search of a bone marrow match for Chrissy, who was a Henderson resident. Then in March, Chrissy found a match and flew to Oakland, Calif., for the transplant.

Three months after her transplant, Chrissy wrote in her online journal: "I went to the doctors today and he said I'm doing great and will be able to go home soon. The first thing I'm going to do when I see my dad is give him a BIG HUG!!!!"

"The last thing I ever remember her telling me is that she loved me," her mother said.

Chrissy is survived by her mother, her father, Ryan, and her 6-year-old brother, Ryne. She will be buried in Cedar City, Utah, where her grandparents are buried, Nelson said.

Two viewings are scheduled, on Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Palm Mortuary, 800 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. at Ocean Street Chapel in downtown Henderson. Services will follow Saturday's viewing.

Nelson is requesting that donations be placed in Chrissy's Fund at Bank of America, which will then be divided and donated to Candlelighters of Southern Nevada, Make a Wish of Southern Nevada, United Blood Services and the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation.