Doctors often use umbilical cord blood stem cells to treat blood cancers, immune disorders, metabolic disorders, and blood disorders. They are powerful cells that can be used to repair the body’s blood cell production capabilities, which is essential for good health.

One patient who recently benefitted from cord blood stem cells was a baby from Aberdare named Harri, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in late 2018. Doctors informed Harri’s parents that it was a very dangerous form of cancer and gave him a 20% to 30% chance of survival.

Bethan, Harri’s mother, was informed that a donor stem cell donor was required for his treatment to be a success. She sprang into action, asking for members of the public to register as stem cell donors with the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity.

Harri had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which occurs when bone marrow cells develop errors in their DNA. The marrow begins to produce malformed blood cells causing anaemia, a suppressed immune system, and a variety of other symptoms.

To treat this condition, doctors give the patient high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy to kill the mutated cells. The patient then receives a stem cell transplant, which re-establishes their ability to produce healthy blood cells.

Harri received his stem cell transplant last month, with cells that were sourced from umbilical cord blood. His mother was extremely excited when a stem cell match was found, saying: “I couldn’t believe it, they said it’ll be hard to find a match, it was just such a relief. You don’t realise how many people need a transplant until you’re in it yourself.”

Initial tests suggest that Harri’s transplant was a complete success and he is now cancer free, all thanks to the regenerative capacity of umbilical cord blood stem cells.

Source: Harri Stickler: Transplant joy for baby with rare cancer

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