In January 2015, Arnitra Smith took her 15-year-old son Nigel to the local Baltimore hospital ER after persistent flu-like symptoms of fever, chills and extreme fatigue. When the blood test indicated an extremely low blood count, the hospital immediately transferred him to Sinai, where he was soon diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
This diagnosis wasn’t just devastating news, it was an emergency. The doctors told the family that Nigel had to start chemotherapy immediately or he would die within the week. This news was all the more unbearable to Arnitra, as she had lost her first child to a medical malpractice event. The possibility of losing another child seemed completely unfathomable.
Thankfully, after intense inpatient chemotherapy for 28 weeks, Nigel went into remission in July 2015. Remission was short-lived as the cancer returned only two months later. This recurrent cancer was more aggressive, requiring further chemotherapy treatments. He was re-admitted to Sinai Hospital and remained there from October through December 2015.
The family learned that the only chance for survival would be for a bone marrow transplant. Nigel’s much younger siblings, Ezra and Payton, were tested, but were not a match. After careful consideration, the family selected Duke University Hospital for the bone marrow transplant. Arnitra had to give up her job in the healthcare field to become Nigel’s full-time caregiver. Antonio, Nigel’s dad, remained employed in his teaching position with the Baltimore County Public School System. It was extremely difficult for the family during this frightening time. The family remained hopeful, relying on prayer to guide them.
The family moved to North Carolina with the hope that with an 80% chance of survival, this is where they needed to be. By this time, Nigel had lost his sight, endured sepsis and neutropenia.
Nigel in 2022 at the Nigel’s Neighborhood Prom
Nigel received a double cord (non-related) bone marrow transplant in January 2016. Following the transplant, his health failed quickly with body pains, loss of appetite and high fevers. Through it all, Nigel remained a fighter, telling his family, “I’m going to beat this.” Six months after the transplant, Nigel was declared cancer free with 100% donor cells.
The family returned to Maryland in June 2016 but Nigel wasn’t out of the woods. He remained stable only with the help of many medicines.
All Nigel wanted to do is be a normal teen: go to school, play sports and drive a car. He missed so many milestones during his diagnoses and treatment. In 2017, Nigel’s senior year of high school, he begged his doctors to allow him to go to school. He promised to wear a mask, clean his desk, sit in the corner of the classroom and take the elevator. Despite all of these efforts, his port still became infected, requiring a hospital stay for 11 days.
Nigel’s personal struggle continually pained Arnitra. She was heartbroken not only for Nigel, but for all the young patients who were missing milestones, such as graduations, learning to drive and attending prom.
Arnitra Smith accepts a CCF Grant for Nigel’s Neighborhood, a program she founded for her son Nigel.
Arnitra conceived of the concept of “Nigel’s Neighborhood” to provide the prom experience for the sickest of kids. Nigel’s Neighborhood gives seriously ill young people a chance to “just be a normal kid.” In 2017, the first prom was held with attendees from Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Georgetown, Children’s National and Sinai Hospital. The event was, and remains, free for all who attend. Nigel’s Neighborhood is run exclusively by volunteers and has been funded by CCF since 2021. An in-person dance was held in November 2022 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
At 23 in 2022, Nigel returns to Sinai Hospital every six months for scans and appointments with Aziza Shad, M.D. Nigel is healthy and able to maintain a part-time job, but still suffers from latent effects from the chemotherapy, including memory loss and processing.
