MACON, Ga. — Bibb County School District will welcome its students back to the classrooms on Monday, August 5.
For parents, this means looking forward to snapping the annual first day photo but for some families with immunocompromised students, the back-to-school picture may look a little different.
Tori Dean, 10, is a rising fifth grade student. She's zoned to attend Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School. Her last year of elementary school will be spent online; she'll be a virtual learner through the Georgia Department of Education's Hospital/Homebound (HBB) services program.
Tori battles health complications from sickle cell disease. She was diagnosed with the blood cell condition at birth. Her mom, Enrika Dean, said both her and Tori's father have the trait. Her and her husband, Crecdric Dean said they keep their faith the focus and prayer gets them through these tough times.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), sickle cell disease is a painful disorder which alters the shape of red blood cells, often clogging blood flow. Enrika said though some days are better than others, her daughter's diagnosis became worse in the previous school year.
Enrika said the health decline led to the ultimate decision of removing her from the school setting in November 2023.
"She was in the hospital for a week in August, a week in September, a week in October, she was actually in the hospital in November when I pulled her out," Enrika said.
"We couldn't keep her safe; we couldn't keep her healthy."
Enrika said her daughter has several doctors in Atlanta because of the lack of sickle cell resources in Macon. Since being removed from the classroom, Tori has undergone chemo treatment and had a bone marrow transplant in June.
Her donor was her older sister, Tiana Dean. The family said doctors said she was a perfect match.
Since then, Tori has been losing her hair as a side effect from chemo therapy. Her mother, Enrika, said her daughter felt self-conscious about her new look, so she let Tori Dean shave her head so she wouldn't feel alone.
Tiana is a 13-year-old entering her final year of middle school. She said she wanted to help save her little sister's life. Tiana battled some health complications herself; when she was 7, her mother said she was diagnosed with stage two kidney disease.
"I didn't understand at first but as soon as she got to the hospital I just started thinking about it and it made me feel sad," Tori said.
The bone marrow transplant went well.
"I can do everything with her now," Tiana said. "She can go outside more she can be around a lot of people now and she can go to parks with us and stuff."
Tiana will begin this school year apart from her baby sister, who will continue her stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Decatur until cleared. However, they both tell 13WMAZ no amount of distance can break their sisterly bond.
Tori is a Make-A-Wish kid and said she hopes her and her family will get to travel to Disney World next summer. Enrika started a GoFundMe for to help raise funds for medical expenses.
She said currently she's not working to be able to take care of Tori full-time.
After her daughter overcomes her health conditions, Enrika said she's considering going back to school to pursue medicine. She said she was inspired by both of her daughters' resilience.