Beth Rumsey, Staff Writer

“I just want to put Kenton in a bubble and protect him from the world,” said Chrissy Gabbard, Osgood, of her infant son, Kenton. He was diagnosed with severe Hemophilia A, which makes it difficult for the blood to clot. According to Gabbard, this type of hemophilia is rare, affecting 1 in 15,000 people.

Doctors first noticed a problem with Kenton while he was still in the hospital where he was born at Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville. They were unable to get the bleeding stopped from a jaundice test and a procedure to stop. It was then the doctors decided to call the specialist at the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati.

“The hardest thing I ever had to do in my life was to give my baby to them,” remembered Gabbard. Because she had not been released by her doctor as yet, Gabbard stayed behind while her husband, Matt, drove to the hospital to be with Kenton. At Children’s Hospital, Kenton was given blood transfusions. When his mother was able to get there the next day, Kenton had been bleeding for 15 hours.

A series of tests showed that Kenton’s Factor VIII levels, measuring the clotting ability, were at 0.6%, according to his mother. Tests were also administered to check for any type of bleeding on the brain or internally. The Gabbards were given extensive training on how to handle this disease before they could take their son home.

Kenton’s sister, Whitley, 7, and brother, Mason, 5, were told that Kenton’s blood was not as strong as theirs, and that they would need to be careful when they play with him. “They have a lot of questions,” said Gabbard, “but, they know they will need to look after him and be protective of him.”

Kenton will never get better, but he can be treated with IV treatments of Advate, a medicine which will help to control or prevent bleeding episodes. Every time an injury occurs, another treatment of this medicine will be necessary. Until the Gabbards are able to administer these treatments themselves, they will need to travel to Cincinnati three times a week for the next two years. “I won’t be able to go to work until I learn how to give the IV’s,” said Gabbard.

With only one income, the Gabbards sometimes find it difficult to make ends meet, including repairs to her vehicle so that she can have reliable transportation to Cincinnati as well as to pay for fuel. A benefit to help with these expenses, organized by Gabbard’s mother Shelia Flanigan, will be held on November 1 at the American Legion in Osgood beginning at 3 p.m.

The benefit, co-sponsored by Thrivent of Lutherans, will feature a hog roast dinner as well as euchre and corn hole tournaments, kids games, face painting, and a cake walk. A silent auction and raffles will also be held.

For more information on the benefit or to make a donation, contact Flanigan, owner of the Design Team in Osgood, at 812-689-3347.

“We’ve been through hard times before,” said Gabbard. “This just brings us closer together.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Kenton Gabbard, pictured with big sister Whitley, 7, and brother Mason, 5, was diagnosed with severe Hemphilia type A at birth.