A TEENAGER from Bromsgrove with leukaemia and desperately needs a stem cell transplant to give him a second chance at life.
After his devastating diagnosis, the family of Leo Spronson have been working with blood cancer charity DKMS to get more people on the stem cell donor register in a bid to improve his chances of finding a match.
And they are have organised a donor registration day from 1pm to 6pm on November 23 at St Godwald’s church hall, where people can come to join the register – it is quick and simple to do and can help save lives.
Signing up is a simple process, involving just a few health questions, and some cheek swabs.
Once people are on the register, their swabs will be tested to find out if you are a match for a patient. At any one time, there are around 2,000 people in the UK waiting for their match, including Leo.
In many ways, 16-year-old Leo is a completely normal teenager – he loves gaming and Virtual Reality, he has a close group of friends and he recently began studying electrical engineering at college.
His dad Warren and mum Jenna said: “Leo is so happy all of the time.
“He takes every day as it comes and is never down – even on tough days he’s always joking and smiling.
“He has a great sense of humour, and he never fails to make me and the family laugh.
“Everybody loves Leo, he’s such a character.”
Struggling
However, for the past few years, Leo has also been struggling with serious health issues, which have recently taken a turn for the worst.
Days after his 12th birthday, he was diagnosed with acute liver disease. He went into liver failure, but thankfully he pulled through.
However, after this happened he developed some issues with his blood, which needed regularly monitored.
For the past two years, Leo has been stable and life was getting back to normal, but recently he started to feel much more tired. His family initially put this down to the long days on his new college course, but when he started getting unusually large bruises, his mum decided to bring him in for tests.
“Leo looked very pale, and my mother’s instinct told me he needed a blood test ASAP, something just was not right.”
Jenna added: ”I took him to the doctors, and that same night we got a call advising us to get Leo to the hospital right away.
“He went into Birmingham Children’s Hospital and immediately needed a blood transfusion.”
Within days, Leo was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a form of blood cancer.
Jenna said: “I remember the doctor telling me, and I just burst into tears in the hallways.
“My heart was broken, my world just fell apart.
“There is no way to describe the utter heartache.
“Leo is our only child and our best friend.
“I then had to be the one to tell him he had cancer at 16 years old.
“He actually took it much better than me and his dad, he was quiet for a while, but he’s determined to beat it, and he had us laughing again within a few hours.”
Life-saving transplant needed
Leo’s medical team have said he will need a stem cell transplant to treat his leukaemia.
For patients with blood cancer, a stem cell transplant from a matching donor could be their only opportunity for recovery.
Only one in three patients will find a match in their family and, unfortunately for Leo, his odds of a family match are very low, as he has no siblings.
This means that he is relying on finding a match from a complete stranger who has signed up the stem cell donor register, but just seven per cent of the eligible population in the UK are signed up.
Most people will never be called to donate, but if you are matched to a patient – nine out of ten times the donation can be completed through a simple outpatient procedure, similar to donating blood platelets. DKMS will support donors through the entire process.
At the event on November 23, the local community can come down and complete some quick swabs with DKMS, to find out if they are a match for Leo, or another patient in urgent need of a stem cell transplant.
Leo’s dad Warren added: “Leo is my whole world.
“He’s my mini me, my greatest joy, and he deserves a second chance at life.
“Watching him face this fight with such courage breaks my heart, but it also fills me with pride.
“He deserves so much more than this struggle, he deserves a future.
“If you could be the one to give him that chance you wouldn’t just be saving a life, you’d be giving my boy a chance to grow up, chase his dreams, and live the full life he deserves.
“Your support means more than words can ever say.”
Jenna said: “Our hopes is that Leo finds a stem donor as soon as possible so that his suffering can end sooner rather than later.
“He’s already finished one round of intense chemo and it was tough for him, and for us as parents to watch.
“There aren’t enough words to describe how important it is to join the register.
“It isn’t until you need it you realise how important it is to sign up.
“You have the potential to literally save a life, and there is someone out there will be able to save our only child’s life.
“He deserves to live a full and fulfilling life, and when he gets better, it will all be thanks to a stranger donating their stem cells.”
‘Help give Leo a second chance’
DKMS spokesperson, Bronagh Hughes, said: “For Leo, the right person joining the register could give him his life back.
“The process is very simple, it’s so easy to give someone a second chance.
“We’ll be supporting Leo’s family to get people signed up to the register in Bromsgrove, but if you can’t come down on the day, visit the DKMS website and we can send you a swab kit in the post.
“You could be the match that Leo, or someone else like him, is waiting for.”
Visit: dkms.org.uk to o find out more, or order a swab kit.
