THE family of a Bromsgrove teenager with leukaemia say they have no option but for his dad to be his stem donor after a transplant had to be delayed.
The loved ones of Leo Spronson, aged 16, thought they had received the best Christmas present ever after a stem cell match was discovered in the UK.
However, this transplant, which was a 10/12 match, was delayed due to the donor needing further tests.
Unfortunately, Leo cannot wait for the donor to be ready, as he needs a Stem Cell transplant as soon as possible.
His mum, Jenna and dad, Warren, have both put themselves forward to be his donor, but at most, they can only be a half-match.
Warren has been chosen as the only option for now, as male-to-male donations are more successful than female-to-male donations.
Leo’s aunt, Kate Best, told the Standard nothing was yet set in stone, as Warren had not had any tests although, all being well, Leo will be admitted at the beginning of February.
She added: “Leo will never be discharged from the hospital and will be monitored for the rest of his life.
“We have no option for now but to potentially use Leo’s dad, Warren, as a donor.
“It’s not ideal, but Leo needs a stem cell transplant as soon as possible.
“Everyone is just taking it day by day, we’ve learnt that anything can change at the drop of a hat.
“The best thing the people of Bromsgrove can do is sign up to the Stem Cell Register and encourage those around them to do the same.
“These delays can be avoided if more people were on the register and ready to go when somebody needs a stem cell transplant.”
Leo is currently in remission, meaning doctors can see significantly less of the leukaemia than they could when he was admitted.
However, he is not currently cancer-free and, despite chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, he has a 40 per cent chance that the leukaemia will return within the first two years.
Since his diagnosis, Leo’s family 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 held a registration day in November.
