A BROMSGROVE teenager whose leukaemia battle has inspired hundreds to sign up to the stem cell register has been told he is cancer free.
After months of looking for a match, Leo Sproson, aged 17, received a stem cell transplant back in March.
His latest Minimal Residual Disease report has shown negative, meaning there are no signs of cancer in his body.
A statement released by his family said: “Today’s a really, really good day.
“It feels so good to say that there are zero signs of cancer inside our lad’s body.
“We are over the moon.
“We also only have to go to the hospital every 2 weeks now, and he’s put on about 1kg of weight.
“Keep it up, Leo, you star.”
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.
In total, 718 people signed up to the stem cell register on the day, with many more registering for online kits in response to Leo’s story.
The event also raised more than £4,000 for DKMS, which will help the charity with processing the swab kits.
Leo’s mum, Jenna, has been so amazed by Leo’s response to his potentially life-threatening illness that she has nominated him for a Pride of Britain award in the Child or Teenager of Courage Award category.
Staff at the Standard have also nominated Leo for the award and have joined a rallying call for others to nominate.
Leo has allowed his story to be shared and heard through his Facebook page ‘Leo’s Army’ in a bid to get other people to join the DKMS stem cell donor register.
For patients with blood cancer, a stem cell transplant from a matching donor could be their only opportunity for recovery.
