A girl kept alive for 10 years by monthly blood transfusions has had a life-saving stem cell transplant after finding her genetic twin.
Chloe Gray, a schoolgirl in Sunderland, was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia while she was still in her mother's womb, according to Chronicle Live.
Doctors said she only had ten hours to live. She had two emergency blood transfusions before she had even been born, and had a full blood exchange when she was born five weeks early.
Chloe was kept alive by monthly blood transfusions until she was seven, when the family was told only a transplant could save her.
Chloe’s search for a match started in 2017. Her three siblings Tye, 15, Millie, 14, and Freddie aged six, were all tested but none of them had a matching tissue type.
As the hunt became more urgent, Chloe’s parents Francesca and Craig launched the ‘A hero for Chloe’ campaign.
The campaign encouraged people to become stem cell donors - and potentially be the one-in-a-million match that could give Chloe a chance at a normal childhood.
After three years of searching, Chloe finally found a suitable donor.
Her initial transplant date last year was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and eventually went ahead on June 1st this year.
Chloe, who celebrated her 11th birthday the week after the transplant, was able to return home with her delighted family earlier this week, and on Thursday she returned to the ward to ring her end of treatment bell.
She has now marked more than 50 days without a blood transfusion - the longest she has ever gone in her life.
Chloe's mother, Francesca Bowser, 30, said: “After so long searching for a match it feels absolutely amazing to have Chloe home. It feels a bit surreal that it’s actually happened.
““We know she has a long road ahead still but the hard part is done.
“During our campaign we registered about 6,000 people and found matches for others.
“We just want to say thank you to everyone who registered, especially her donor who has given our daughter a second chance of life. We don’t know who you are but we can never thank you enough.”
Diamond Blackfan Anaemia affects just 700 people in the world and means the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells.
People can find out how to potentially become a donor on the DKMS website.
