Evie McClean is nine years old. Considering her situation, it’s amazing she’s even made it this long.
Evie has a rare blood condition called myelodysplasia. It causes her bone marrow to fail, and she can’t produce enough red and white blood cells.
Many sufferers of this blood condition go on to get leukemia, and Evie was no exception. Evie needed a stem cell transplant, and fast.
In the meantime, she had to undergo intense chemotherapy.
However, no one in her family was a suitable match. So they took a chance, and decided to look all over the world for a transplant.
They found a 35-year-old woman in America who was a perfect match. Not only that, but she was the only registered donor match in the world.
“Evie had two nine-out-of-ten matches, where there is a greater chance of rejection, in Europe, but only had one ten-out-of-ten match in the whole world,” says her mother, Nicola. “Because of this, Evie has a chance at a future.”
“The transplant was a success and we have been told it is now engrafting, which means the bone marrow has started making new blood cells.”
The family may never know who the donor is, but they are eternally grateful.
“Evie is my absolute world, and words aren’t enough to express how truly indebted I am to you,” said her mother. “I am and will be forever grateful.”
Ann O’Leary, staff at bone marrow donation charity Anthony Nolan, said, “We are so pleased for Evie and her family that we can spend these special moments together after finding their match and progressing well…Sadly there are still many myths that surround stem cell donation. To sign up, all you have to do is fill a simple online form and provide a saliva sample.
“If you’re a match for someone like Evie, donating is usually done through a very simple procedure, which is very similar to giving blood.”
Evie is still recovering, but they hope that she will be home for Christmas and her birthday, which is December 22nd.
