Anita Shier has been a beloved cornerstone of the Science Department for the past 16 years. Most current Upper School students have been lucky enough to have her as a teacher at some point, whether in Science 9 Honors (formerly PCB 2H), Forensics, or one of the many other classes she teaches. But Shier will take a step away from Chadwick next fall as she shifts her focus to her son’s health.
May 29 marked the beginning of Shier’s leave of absence, and she and her 21-year-old son, Gabriel Bruton, drove up to Seattle, Washington shortly after. The two will spend the next month preparing for Bruton’s surgery before he will be admitted to Seattle Children’s Hospital on July 2 in order to receive a bone marrow transplant from a random donor.
Bruton was born with Diamondback-Blackfan Anemia (DBA), a very rare blood disorder that affects 1 in 500,000 babies and prevents his bone marrow from making enough red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen throughout his body.
To treat this condition, Bruton has received blood transfusions every three weeks since he was seven weeks old. While these transfusions have helped mitigate the symptoms of Bruton’s condition, they also increase the amount of iron in his body. The medicine that Bruton takes to reduce iron levels has begun to have negative effects on his kidneys and other parts of his body, leading the bone marrow transplant to become the best option for his health.
“Because he was having a decent quality of life, we were like, ‘We’re not going there [and doing the transplant].’ But now he’s at the point where we’ve been walking on this razor’s edge with his health,” Shier explains.
While the transplant can cure the main effects of DBA permanently, it also has serious risks and side effects. Fortunately, Seattle Children’s Hospital is one of the two best hospitals in the world for transplants for DBA, which are different from transplants for cancer and other conditions.
Additionally, the FDA approved treosulfan, a medicine given to patients before bone marrow transplants, for medical use in the United States in January of 2025. This medicine is less toxic than other drugs used to prepare patients for transplants, reducing the chances of serious complications like kidney or liver failure.
“Because of this new treatment option and the higher survival rate, we are a lot more hopeful,” explains Shier.
After the transplant, Shier and Bruton will be isolated in the hospital for at least two months and then live outside the hospital in Seattle for a few more months.
“[Bruton] is going to be like the boy in the bubble for a while. He’ll have no immune system. So, [the doctors] won’t let him go until he’s in a safe space,” says Shier.
Though Shier will primarily spend her months in Seattle taking care of her son, she also hopes to use the long hours in the hospital and house to explore her hobbies and passions.
“I’m really looking forward to actually getting into my creative pursuits that I haven’t done in a while, like drawing and painting. I miss the creative side of my brain,” shares Shier.
After Shier and her son return to Los Angeles in the fall, they will move into an apartment on campus so that she can be close enough to help him if anything happens. Although the transplant will cure Bruton’s DBA, it could have significant side effects and lead to other medical conditions.
Shier explains, “Until we’re on the other side, we won’t actually know if he’ll need more medical treatments.”
But Shier is still very hopeful that this transplant will improve her son’s health and allow him more opportunities and independence.
“Hopefully, he’ll be able to get back on his feet and start working or choosing what he actually wants to do with his life,” Shier shares. “I think that’s been the hardest part [of his condition]—he wants to do things, but his interests aren’t always possible because of his medical situation.”
For students, teachers, and other community members who are looking to keep up with Shier and her family, her son has a Caring Bridge page under his name (Gabriel Bruton) that will be updated throughout the coming months.
