Boy Given A Five Per Cent Chance To Live Starts School Thanks To Cord Blood

You may not believe in miracles, but we think that this story comes close. A young boy, now six years old, might not be here today if it wasn’t for the donated umbilical cord stem cells that he received.

Keep reading if you want more details.

The Story

This story starts sad but as we mentioned in the introduction, there is a happy end to it all, so stay with us.

As a baby Fraser Hinde was diagnosed with cancer when tumours were found in his head, neck, and spine. For years he battled with this. His parents Alison Gaffney and Andy Hinde were told by doctors that the tumours were compressing his spinal cord and that he should be paralysed. They were also told that 80% of his bone marrow was covered with cancer.

It was an incredibly tough few years for the family. In May 2018, the family received the news that Fraser had a “super rare” genetic mutation called B-Cell ALL with Burkitts MYC. It is so rare it has never been treated in a hospital before. Fraser was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary in the UK, where he stayed for eight months waiting to receive treatment.

That December was Fraser’s last round of chemotherapy and then in January 2019, his mum and dad were told that he was cancer free! But sadly, the cancer returned just two months later. He was moved to Great Ormand Street Hospital where he received CAR-T treatment. This worked, so in August 2019, mum and dad were expecting to hear once more that Fraser was cancer free.

But the cancer came back almost immediately. He received eight rounds of irradiation. It seemed like there was no chance of recovery, Fraser was facing palliative care and his mum started to plan a funeral in her mind.

That was until he was matched to stem cells from a baby in Belgium. The parents had donated the baby’s umbilical cord blood and by chance, it was a match for Fraser. These stem cells would be used to replace the cancerous bone marrow cells with healthy ones.

He went from strength-to-strength, just 11 days after his stem cell transplant.

Now aged 6, Fraser is cancer free and has even started school. It’s like he has been reborn! He has a few manageable health issues post his radiation such as cataracts and sore legs but he is otherwise living life having defied all the odds. Well done, Fraser.

For the full story check out this news article.

Fraser’s story is a reminder of how quickly the search for a stem cell match can become global. Donor registries in different countries can help connect patients with potential matches across borders, including in places like the UAE where families are often part of wider international healthcare networks. Some parents choose to store their baby’s cord blood privately, so that a potential family match is available if it is ever needed, depending on clinical suitability at the time. This may include siblings or other close family members where a compatible match is found. Whether parents choose to donate cord blood or store it privately, what matters most is having access to clear, balanced information so they can make an informed decision about the options available to them.

Public Donation vs Private Storage

Here is a quick run-down of the differences between public donation and private storage of cord blood:

Public:

• Free service
• Available only in some regions where public cord blood donation programmes exist within selected hospitals
• Only available through national donor registries or cord blood programmes depending on the country and local healthcare system
• The cord blood will be stored on a public database for potential use by patients in need of a transplant

Private:

• Paid for service
• Done using a private storage company (that’s us!)
• Available at many hospitals across multiple regions internationally, depending on hospital arrangements
• Compatible with delayed cord clamping
• Cord blood is stored for the exclusive use of the baby and their family should they get sick. A 100% genetic match for your baby and a good chance of being a match for siblings.

Get your Parents’ Guide to Cord Blood Banking now to learn more or call 058 516 5494 to speak to one of our friendly sales executives.