“Bubble Family” quarantines to protect immunocompromised baby

By Laurie Perez

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    SNATA CLARITA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A Santa Clarita family could be freed from their self-imposed isolation after their immunocompromised newborn received approval for a life-saving implant.

“It’s very scary,” father Alex Landron said. “So far, it’s been terrifying and lonely.”

For almost nine months, the Landrons have quarantined themselves to protect their daughter, Syanne, who was born without any immunity, meaning that any exposure to germs or infections could be deadly. The diagnosis changed the way they lived, with Alex working from home and opting to homeschool their son, Dean. They’ve celebrated holidays and birthdays from afar while family and friends drop off deliveries of food and supplies.

“We don’t see anybody,” mother Marilyn Landron said. “There is no six feet apart. You don’t go near anybody. We wear a mask anywhere and everywhere. Even if we’re going to the trash, we put a mask on … We don’t go to stores. We couldn’t even do our own laundry for a good minute at our old apartment.”

Syanne was born without a thymus gland, which prevented her body from adapting its T cells. T cells are a crucial part of a person’s immune system. Without them, the baby’s body cannot defend itself against infections, cancers and other diseases.

“This little girl, her body is trying to make these immune cells, but they don’t have a place to get educated,” Syanne’s immunologist, Dr. Caroline Kuo, said. “They can’t function properly. We know that babies that don’t have T cells, they cannot usually live past a year of life or a little longer than a year.”

Every second Syanne is not at home, except when she goes to the doctor, she is inside a plastic shield.

“When we say that we want this baby to be free of infections, we mean all infections,” Kuo said. “I don’t just mean the really serious ones, I mean common viruses that we all come into contact with. So, that means that this family has had to have very minimal contact with the outside world.”

Just a few weeks ago, Syanne was approved to get a Thymus implant from a healthy baby who is undergoing surgery. The procedure could save her life. However, the family will have to wait to get a call from Duke University, the only facility in the United States to perform the implant.

It’s unclear when she might get a match, but the Landrons are prepared to stay in a bubble for as long as it takes.

“We are very, very big on the power,” Marilyn said. “God’s listening and that’s all that we are hoping for.”

Once they get the call from Duke, Marilyn and Syanne will board a medical plane and fly in isolation to North Carolina. Now that their insurance provider has approved them for the $3.2 million surgery, they could get the call within a month.

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