We’re terrified our brave girl could die without transplant
Parents plea for stem cell register recruits
THE parents of a three-year-old girl battling a rare cancer are terrified their daughter could die after her stem cell transplant was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Adeline Davidson, from Inverness, was due to receive cells from an anonymous donor at the end of February.
But on the day of the transplant, doctors at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children discovered Adeline had a cold and told parents Steph, 26, and Jordan, 28, they needed to delay the treatment for three days.
Mum-of-three Steph said: “In those few days, the coronavirus situation completely blew up and we were told the transplant was no longer going to go ahead.
“The transplant has been delayed for the foreseeable so we just have to wait and keep her healthy because if she contracts any illness and has to be admitted to hospital she’s at high risk of infection.”
Adeline suffers from the blood disease myelodysplasia, which affects one in 250,000 children, and her parents fear the cancer could turn into a potentially fatal form of leukaemia unless she has the transplant soon.
They have been told the stem cell transplant won’t go ahead until late summer at the earliest.
Adeline is now reliant on weekly platelet transfusions to keep her body functioning but with fewer people donating blood in the lockdown, the NHS could face shortages.
Steph, who has been isolating with Jordan, Adeline and year-old twins Jude and Josie for five weeks, called for everyone who is well and able to donate blood. She said: “She’s stable on her platelet transfusions but the longer she stays on them, the more she’s at risk of infection.
“Lots of people have stopped travelling to give blood due to the virus, which is scary because she relies on these people to live.
“We’re begging people to still go out and donate blood if they can because it’s actually classed as essential travel.
“The blood donated has an expiry date, so keep giving. It’s keeping Adeline alive.”
The couple are also afraid that Adeline’s donor, who was found to be a match last October, could come into contact with the virus.
There is also a higher risk of death if their little girl catches coronavirus because of her reduced immune system, so the family have now been taking extra precautions.
Steph said: “We found out about the transplant in March. (Blood charity) DKMS ran a global donor register and a 9/10 match was found.
“We were so relieved when we heard that there was a match. This person who doesn’t even know Adeline was giving her a second chance at life.
“It was the best news ever. We just wanted to get on with it. We felt all along that it’s a waiting game and we’ve just been over hurdle after hurdle – it’s a scary time for all of us.”
DKMS, which found Adeline’s donor, issued an appeal for new potential lifesavers to come forward amid falling numbers as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Jonathan Pearce, head of DKMS UK, said: “Our donor registrations are down by 50 per cent compared with this time last year and we are fearful that they will drop even further.
“At a time where a ray of hope is so needed, I am appealing for people to come forward and join the blood stem cell register.”
Steph said: “Now that everyone’s at home, I’d suggest that people order a stem cell donation kit online if they can.”
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, on behalf of Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, said: “The hospital follows guidelines set jointly by UK paediatric transplant units.
“This suggests the postponement of transplants for patients with benign disease, if it is safe to do so. Transplants for patients with malignant disease will continue. Our priority is to keep patients safe during Covid19. We review each child’s need for a transplant on a weekly basis.”