Brave Lara’s gift of life to sister hit by cancer for a third time
A CANCER-stricken teenager can finally celebrate being free from the disease after her brave younger sister stepped in to save her.
When Samara Pina’s cancer returned for the third time, doctors said her only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant.
They carried out tests on Lara, then eight, and despite only a one in four chance of success, doctors discovered she was a perfect match.
Lara’s bone marrow was transferred into Samara, and she has now recovered from the disease she has fought for most of her life and completed her first full year of school.
Mum Soraria, 38, said: ‘We never expected Lara to be a good enough match to save her.
“We knew it was only a one in four chance. We only have two children, so Lara was her only hope. When the doctors told her it was a good enough match, it was fantastic news.
“The sisters have always been close but now they have an incredible bond. Lara knows she has saved Samara’s life.”
Samara was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia just before her second birthday.
Soraria, a design coordinator who lives with husband Braulio, 40, a site manager, and their daughters in Manchester, said: “We were devastated. She hadn’t been feeling well for several weeks, but we never imagined it was anything as serious as cancer. She wasn’t even two and already fighting for her life.”
The disease is a cancer of the blood cells, typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated. It most commonly occurs in children between the ages of two and five.
Samara had to start intensive chemotherapy which left her sick and exhausted, but after three years of treatment she was given the all-clear. Soraria added: “She had been through so much and was so brave throughout it all. When she finally finished the treatment and was given the all-clear, we thought we could put it all behind us and move on with our lives.”
But when Samara was eight, doctors discovered it had returned, and she had to have another three years of chemotherapy. It then came back a third time when she was 12.
Soraria recalled: “We didn’t know how much more Samara could take.
“This time the doctors said chemotherapy wasn’t enough and they had to try something else. She had immunotherapy treatment and they wanted to carry out a bone marrow transplant, but they had to find a donor.”
And that is when Lara made the most courageous, crucial intervention.
There was another scare when it was discovered that Samara had leukaemia cells remaining in her brain and had to have more chemotherapy. But she has made a full recovery and Soraria said of her daughters: “They share a bedroom now Samara is home from hospital and are inseparable.”