A match for 16-year-old Leo Sproson, of Bromsgrove in the Midlands, was found following a Mirror appeal, but the donor has to undergo further testing before the transplant can take place.
The dad of a teenage leukaemia patient is set to donate his stem cells in a bid to save his son. A match for 16-year-old Leo Sproson, of Bromsgrove in the Midlands, was found following a Mirror appeal just before Christmas. But the unidentified donor has to undergo further testing before the transplant can take place. Leo’s father, Warren, is to donate his stem cells as doctors say his son cannot afford to wait for the original donor to undergo the tests.
Warren, 46, a driver, said: “His leukaemia is quite aggressive and there’s a very, very strong chance it will come back without some kind of donor stepping in.” In November, more than 700 people attended a blood donor drive, and the donor was found in December after the Mirror told his story.
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“We were ecstatic,” added Warren. “We were supposed to go back into hospital on Tuesday to start the process. But on Friday afternoon his mum had a phone call saying the donor needs more testing done.”
The Mirror told how Leo’s mum Jenna Elwell was spending several weeks with her son in hospital in Birmingham. Her son was ready for his transplant last week before the delay for further tests on his donor.
That means his dad is now set to provide the stem cells for the transplant. Leo’s donor team said it was too risky to wait four weeks for the new tests.
Jenna, 41, said: “He understands that they’re trying to save his life. It is hard for him as he is 16 and he cannot see his friends, he can’t play his games at home. But he has accepted it because he knows that they are doing everything they can for him. He is so laid back, he takes it in his stride.”
A male-to-male donation is preferred though both his parents are a partial match. Warren said it remained to be seen whether or not he would be a suitable long term donor. He explained: “We don’t know whether they’re going to use me and then progress with the donor later on.”
Leo went into liver failure days after his 12th birthday, before his diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia at 16. Warren said the support of strangers in the search for a donor “meant more than words can ever say”.
He added he was unsure of the exact transplant process but would do whatever was needed. “It’s absolutely nothing compared to what he’s gone through,” he said. “Absolutely nothing. It’s just one of those things, it’s for your kids, so you get on with it and you do it. Hopefully what I’m doing is going to help my boy and give him the best chance.”
Warren said Leo had been “incredibly strong” ever since his diagnosis. “He just rolls with everything,” he explained. “Obviously we’re still absolutely heartbroken over the situation, no parent should see their child go through this. The way he deals with everything, I’m really proud of him.”
Leo’s aunt Kate Best, 43, a fitness instructor who also lives in Bromsgrove, said the family was keen to raise awareness to help children like Leo. She said: “We know his leukaemia is low after chemo. We cannot wait for his treatment; the longer you wait, the more likely it is to creep back. But we may be able to help others.”
Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in this country. Every year, nearly 13,000 people die from blood cancer in the UK.
At any one time there are around 2,000 people here who need a stem cell transplant. A new opt out scheme on organ donation in England was named ‘Max and Keira’s Law’ in honour of Max Johnson and Keira Ball. It followed a five-year Mirror campaign.
We told how Max, then nine, of Winsford, Cheshire, received the heart of nine-year-old Keira following her death in a car accident near her home in Barnstaple, Devon. All adults in England are considered as having agreed to donate their own organs when they die unless they opt out.
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