A girl suffering from a rare blood cancer has been saved- thanks to her little sister’s bone marrow. Ruby Leaning was six years old when she collapsed in the school playground and was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Her two-year-old sister Mabel was a perfect donor and donated bone marrow for the transplant.
Two years later, Ruby was declared cancer-free and is now a happy and healthy ten-year-old who enjoys swimming, dancing and piano lessons. Her grandmother, Amanda Fawcett, 56, said, “She had stem cell treatment and was given the stem cells from her little sister Mabel because she was a perfect match.”
“We didn’t initially expect her to be a match donor but thankfully she was and we couldn’t believe our luck. It was incredible – we were so grateful. Mabel’s treatment helped her go into remission,” she added. “I’m sure Mabel will make Ruby pay her back when she’s older. She’s going to ask to borrow Ruby’s shoes. It’s going to be great fun,” she said.
The family, from Grimsby, Lincoln, England are speaking as they hold a fundraiser for the support group PACT (Parents Association for Children with Tumors and Leukaemia) which helped them during their hospital stay. Nicola Brown, caseworker at PACT, described it as an “absolute joy” to support Ruby on her journey through cancer. Nicola said, “We are now lucky enough to have Amanda and her family and friends organising another fundraiser for PACT and the National Autistic Society.”
“We are thrilled to be one of their chosen charities and as always we look forward to seeing what fun things they have in store to raise money for both charities. They are a truly wonderful family and it has been a pleasure to support them on their journey through childhood cancer,” he said.
Amanda is hosting a fundraising evening for the charity and the National Autistic Society on May 10 at the Hainton Club in Grimsby, Lincoln. You can also donate on the family’s Just Giving page.
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