Notes from the Dungeons

Greetings faithful friends and prayer warriors,
I guess it is well over due for an update on Amelia. Most of you know that Amelia is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. What you may or may not know is that we are in the fight of a life time to get her to the hospital that is the best in the world to treat her rare disease. We have worked with University of Minnesota for nearly 8 years now, after all it is where Marshall our oldest son received his transplant 7 years ago. Well things have change a bit in 7 years. The hospital no longer wants to accept Amelia as a patient because she does not have enough insurance coverage. Her cap for her transplant with our current insurance is only $300,000.00, the hospital in Mn estimates the cost to approach somewhere near $800,000.00.
So this is where we are, our insurance is a self funded insurance company run by the Louisiana Sheriff's association, we are trying, begging and pleading with them to raise that cap for her up to either 750k or 800k. They have that ability because they are self funded, it is do they want to? Amelia needs to go to transplant like yesterday, yes there is another hospital that we could use and don't get me wrong they are on the back burner as a back up in the event that we hit every brick wall that we cross, but this hospital (Cincinnati) just does not live up to Minnesota's success rate, right now Minnesota has a 100% survival rate for children 10 and under!! ( Amelia is 10 and will be 11 in June) Cincinnati has lost about 6 children with Fanconi Anemia with in the last 7 months, I just don't want to be there. I am not saying that Amelia will have a sure 100% survival rate, because there is only one who knows that. I am trusting in Him to lead us down the right road and I know that He will be there for us no matter where we go, but also feel that He is wanting us to fight to get her to the best place possible and not to give up yet.

We have taken her out of school and placed her on hospital home bound. Her counts are just too low for me to allow her to be in school with out close supervision. We want her "healthy" meaning free from any kind of colds, flues or viruses. That in it self is a challenge for me!! She is a very social butterfly and well I can only handle so many I'm boards. ;)
I am writing again to ask for you prayers on several fronts. First and foremost for Amelia and her health and that she can hold out long enough for us to fight and get to Minnesota. Her current counts are not great at all and dangerously low, but we will check them again on Monday and if they are still low we will need to move to get her a red cell transfusion and if that happens she will need surgery to insert a port into her chest in which to receive them. Second that this fight with the hospital and the insurance comes through for her SOON! That those that sit on the Louisiana Sheriff's association has a heart and realize that they are making a life or death decision for an innocent child. Strength for me to keep pushing to get her the very best care in the country and knowledge to know when the time has come to get her anywhere and comfort for me know that I am doing the very best that I can for her and her health and just for any and all decisions that I have to make that I make the right ones and don't second guess my self with them! I thank each and every one of you in advance for your prayers, they truly mean a lot to our family.
Please feel free to forward this email to your friends, family or any one.
Thank you.

Trusting in Him,
Kelly & Tyren Bennett
Marshall, Amelia and Nathan


Well a lot has happened since the last time I updated. A little with the insurance, we have the hospital and Louisiana Sheriffs Association (we think) in negotiations. The hospital came up with a price for the LSA to view and approve? Now weather they will approve it or not is a big question. The board meets on February 4th. We should know with in a week or so after that if they are going to increase her cap. Please pray that they make this come true for her.
Reason being......we can no longer wait to move to transplant. She needs to go! If the board approves her we will be leaving in about the middle of March for this transplant to happen....her counts have seriously fallen, not what I was expecting in the least bit at all. We are checking her hgb weekly. At last count her hgb had dropped to 6.8. I am trying to keep her as still as possible easier said than done. I have been a roller coaster of emotions.
Amelia meet her teacher and has started her school work. The hardest part of us is trying to get her to understand that she just can't do things like she use too. We try to avoid crowded areas with her, again easier said than done.