Growing up, Logan and Erin Dorsey spent more time with nurses than classmates.
Both had frequent visits at Children’s of Mississippi for sickle cell disease care. The nurses who cared for them with uplifting spirits and encouraging words inspired their passion for nursing from a young age.
“I would watch everything they did,” Erin said. “How they cared for me made me want to be a nurse and care for others.”
Their mother bought them their first scrubs and made them name badges with the letters “RN.”
And today, they wear those letters where it all began.
It began at what is now known as the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders on the hematology-oncology floor of the children’s hospital and the bone marrow transplant unit inside the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Conerly Critical Care Hospital.
Elaine Hobson, shift supervisor on that floor, cared for Logan and Erin as kids. Today, she’s their coworker.
“When they were younger, they would say that they wanted to be nurses working on the hematology and oncology floor,” Hobson said. “I always told them that they could do it — and they did. I’m amazed to see them take care of patients with their disease and encourage those patients because of their journey.”
Employees like Hobson touched the lives of Logan and Erin, who now draw upon their experiences as they care for patients.
Another Dorsey made an impact in a major way: their brother.
When Erin had her bone marrow transplant, she needed a 100% match. Their brother, Brandon I. Dorsey Jr., was a complete match for her, but not for Logan.
But by 2021, half-match bone marrow transplants were available at UMMC, and he was able to be a donor again, this time for his other sister.
Stem cell transplants had previously been limited to patients with a fully matched donor. The option for a half-match has broadened the donor pool for those who would not have been able to receive it otherwise.
“These two young ladies show the realized potential unlocked by stem cell transplant for sickle cell and other conditions,” said Dereck Davis, MD, associate professor of hematology and oncology, who cared for Logan during her more recent bone marrow transplant. “It’s gratifying to see two of our bone marrow transplant patients care for children and adolescents who have the disease they once had.”
Logan’s and Erin’s journeys with sickle cell has influenced the care they provide for patients with the condition. From keeping heat packs readily available to empowering patients to make their own decisions, their shared experience gives them a way to connect with children.
And for them, providing that care is a dream come true.
“Because of my experience, I can relate to patients and share my story with them,” Erin said. “Parents of children who have sickle cell tell us our story gives them hope.”
