This week,13-year-old Sara Mhlanga from Newry in Northern Ireland is celebrating the five year anniversary of the stem cell transplant which cured her leukaemia. The lifesaving stem cells came from the umbilical cord of a stranger’s baby, also know as cord blood, which is normally thrown away at birth.
Ewa, Sara’s mum, was pregnant with her second child when Sara started complaining of headaches and tiredness.
Ewa says, ‘The paediatrician took some blood and told us that they would contact us in a few weeks to arrange further tests if they were necessary. That night, the hospital called us up and asked us to come in immediately. I knew that something was seriously wrong.’
Sara was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome which quickly progressed to leukaemia.
Ewa says, ‘Sara was very ill. The doctors told us that she didn’t have much time left and that she urgently needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. Anthony Nolan searched their bone marrow register and no one in the UK was a match for Sara. They then searched worldwide registers but no one in the world was a suitable match for Sara.’
Ewa is Polish and her husband Dereck is from Zimbabwe, which made finding a matching bone marrow (or stem cell) donor for Sara more difficult. The doctors made the decision to look at an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant to save Sara’s life. Sara’s transplant took place in August 2008 and she was back at school just one year after her original diagnosis.
‘Someone who we have never met donated their cord blood for our child,’ adds Ewa, ‘They gave Sara a chance to fight leukaemia and they saved her life. We will be eternally grateful to every mother who donates their cord blood – it could save someone’s life like it saved our Sara.’
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, says, ‘We’re delighted that Sara is doing well and celebrating her fifth transplant anniversary. Because of Sara’s mixed heritage, no one in the world was a suitable bone marrow donor for her. Thankfully, someone had donated their umbilical cord blood stem cells and doctors were able to use that to save her life. We are urging everyone eligible to step forward and join the bone marrow register, especially young people from ethnic minority backgrounds – one day, you could be a match for someone like Sara.’This week,13-year-old Sara Mhlanga from Newry in Northern Ireland is celebrating the five year anniversary of the stem cell transplant which cured her leukaemia. The lifesaving stem cells came from the umbilical cord of a stranger’s baby, also know as cord blood, which is normally thrown away at birth.