Wayne P. Champagne was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just two weeks after his 20th birthday. Three months later, he passed away.
Two months after Wayne’s untimely death, his mother and father, Jan Dufrene Champagne and Patrick “Catfish” Champagne, came together to throw a memorial blood drive with Ochsner Blood Bank in Wayne’s honor on Jan. 9. Wayne’s cousin, Sheriff Greg Champagne, also helped to get the word out about the event.
Wayne’s family attended the event, including his brother, Patrick Champagne Jr. and his wife Tracy, and Wayne’s sister, Michelle Champagne.
“Wayne was (Patrick Jr. and Michelle’s) baby brother. They helped take care of him from the day he was born until the day he passed away,” Tracy said of the relationship between Wayne and his siblings.
Patrick, Wayne’s father, came up with the idea for the blood drive while Wayne was going through treatment.
“When (Wayne) was sick, his father suggested that we do this. He really wanted to throw something big as a thank you to the hospitals,” Tracy said. “After Wayne passed away, (his father) still wanted to follow through.”
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurs when immature white blood cells are over-produced in the body, crowding normal cells in bone marrow and spreading to other organs.
During his illness, Wayne used multiple units of packed red blood cells, platelets and fresh frozen plasma.
The family wanted to raise donations to help others who may have illnesses during this time of year that require blood transfusions.
“During the holidays, the blood supplies are depleted and this is a very important time to donate to help save the lives of cancer patients, like Wayne and many others,” Tracy said. “These blood products saved his life many, many days in a row.”
Wayne first went to the hospital because he felt a pain in his side. The doctors drew blood and found that the pain was a sign of a more serious illness.
“It’s important to recognize the symptoms,” Tracy said. “He thought he just had a pain in his side and that’s why he went to the hospital.”
On his first day of the semester at Delgado Community College, Wayne received a phone call from the hospital informing him that he had leukemia.
He started chemotherapy right away at University Hospital and he seemed to be doing well with the treatment.
The doctors told Wayne that he would have to stay in the hospital in order to receive his injections, but he chose to take them home and administer them to himself.
“He was very strong. He did really well and he had lots of support from his family and friends,” Tracy said. “Everybody expected to have a lot more time with Wayne.”
On November 8, just two months after his diagnosis, Wayne got sick and was moved to Ochsner Medical Center.
By Nov. 13, Wayne was in septic shock and he passed away on Nov. 20, exactly three months after he was diagnosed.
Family members said that Wayne was a very outgoing, popular guy who was loved by everyone.
“He made all of those nurses laugh everyday, despite what he was going through,” Tracy said. “He had more love and support than anyone I’ve ever known.”
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