“We can’t thank the stem cell donor enough” – Ellie’s Story

Ellie recovering in hospital after her transplant

When 6 year old Ellie Davidson was diagnosed with blood cancer for a second time, her parents were told that her only hope of survival was a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant. Weeks later, a 1 in a million donor match was found in Germany and Ellie recently left hospital with the hope of a second chance at life.

Ellie, who lives in the UK, was first diagnosed with leukaemia at just 3 years old. After lengthy chemotherapy, she was given the all clear, but last September the devastating news came back that the cancer had returned.  Ellie endured chemotherapy, blood transfusions, injections and lumbar punctures, the side effects of which caused pain, tiredness and hair loss as well as ulcers in her eyes and digestive tract.  Despite all this, after a few weeks her parents were told that a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant was Ellie’s only hope of survival.

Hannah, Ellie’s Mum says “Seeing Ellie have go through it all was awful, it broke my heart. She’s not just my daughter, she’s my best friend”.

After an agonising wait, the news finally came through that a matching donor in Germany had been found for Ellie. She underwent radiation and more chemotherapy before finally receiving her transplant on 24th January 2014.

Richard, Ellie’s Dad says “I can’t thank the young lady donor enough. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if she hadn’t been found. One day I really hope I can thank her in person.”

CLICK HERE to register to donate stem cells (bone marrow)

CLICK HERE to find out more about stem cell (bone marrow) donation

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