Murrieta Boy Welcomed Home After Transplant

He spent his 10th birthday in intensive care and lost his hair to chemotherapy.

But Ricky Martinez was all smiles Wednesday when he returned home to Murrieta after 35 days at Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Hugs from family members, his grandmother's fish tacos and a new TV in his bedroom made Ricky's homecoming just right.

Ricky was . The hope is that by a cord-blood transplant he underwent, he can soon return to life as normal.

The disease attacked Ricky's stem cells, which make red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in order for the body to fight off infection.

As a result, the baseball, football and basketball player was forced into isolation—unable to attend public school at or play his favorite sports.

Ricky was in need of a bone marrow transplant to stimulate new stem-cell growth. in hopes of being his match.

The answer for Ricky by his parents when he was born. His cord blood was located by CHOC doctors when they did a national database search.

Since the transplant of his cord blood on May 31, Ricky has made strides.

He was released from the hospital 60 days earlier than expected, according to his father, Oscar Martinez.

Ricky had to have a high enough white blood cell count for three consecutive days in order to come home, mother Cynthia said.

He must still go to the doctor twice a week so his counts can be monitored. He will also get transfusions if necessary.

By August, his parents hope he can re-enter Monte Vista as a fifth-grader.

"Every day he is getting better little by little," Cynthia said.