Stem cell transplant at The Christie saved grandad's life after hospital used two babies' umbilical cords
12 Feb 2014 06:00
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/stem-cell-transplant-christie-saved-6697542
David Pyne, 60, underwent a remarkable stem cell transplant at The Christie hospital using the babies’ umbilical cords
A grandad whose leukaemia fight left him with around 18 months to live has had his life saved... by two babies.
David Pyne, 60, underwent a remarkable stem cell transplant at The Christie hospital using the babies’ umbilical cords.
He is among the first patients at the hospital to undergo the transplant after all other treatments were exhausted.
David said: “I was truly amazed when my doctor at The Christie said we could use this option. To think that two newborns saved an old man’s life is just marvellous and it’s given me more time with my own grandchildren.”
Dad-of-four and grandfather-of-seven David, from Baguley, Wythenshawe, was diagnosed with leukaemia following routine blood tests in August 2012. He began chemotherapy and blood transfusions. In 2012, a search for a stem cell donor was launched, but no members of his family proved a match and no other donors could be found. It left David with a life expectancy of around 12 to 18 months.
But in September, David underwent the transplant using stem cells from the umbilical cords of a baby born in America and one born in France.
Their parents had already agreed to allow the stems cells to be harvested and banked with a view to helping save another person’s life. Patients with cancers such as leukaemia need blood stem cells to replace their own damaged cells.
The two donor babies were found to be a good match and their cells were flown to The Christie in Withington. The technique is relatively new and available on the NHS. The hospital has carried out six similar transplants in the past year.
David said: “Things were looking pretty grim until I got the breakthrough news about the possibility of an umbilical cord stem cell transplant. The team from The Christie managed to find two separate umbilical cord donors that were a good match. I just felt elated. It was something to hope for, like a lifeline was being thrown to you. I just grabbed it with both hands and hoped for the best.”
David spent six weeks in hospital. Stem cells from the second cord began to work and David’s condition slowly began to improve. The Christie is opening a new haematology and transplant unit this spring.
Dr Mike Dennis, director of the haematology and transplant unit at The Christie, said: “Umbilical cord blood is very rich in stem cells, which being so immature has phenomenal regenerative powers. These were a great, alternative source of cells for David, in fact the only option, as after a worldwide search he had no other available donor.”
12 Feb 2014 06:00
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/stem-cell-transplant-christie-saved-6697542
David Pyne, 60, underwent a remarkable stem cell transplant at The Christie hospital using the babies’ umbilical cords
A grandad whose leukaemia fight left him with around 18 months to live has had his life saved... by two babies.
David Pyne, 60, underwent a remarkable stem cell transplant at The Christie hospital using the babies’ umbilical cords.
He is among the first patients at the hospital to undergo the transplant after all other treatments were exhausted.
David said: “I was truly amazed when my doctor at The Christie said we could use this option. To think that two newborns saved an old man’s life is just marvellous and it’s given me more time with my own grandchildren.”
Dad-of-four and grandfather-of-seven David, from Baguley, Wythenshawe, was diagnosed with leukaemia following routine blood tests in August 2012. He began chemotherapy and blood transfusions. In 2012, a search for a stem cell donor was launched, but no members of his family proved a match and no other donors could be found. It left David with a life expectancy of around 12 to 18 months.
But in September, David underwent the transplant using stem cells from the umbilical cords of a baby born in America and one born in France.
Their parents had already agreed to allow the stems cells to be harvested and banked with a view to helping save another person’s life. Patients with cancers such as leukaemia need blood stem cells to replace their own damaged cells.
The two donor babies were found to be a good match and their cells were flown to The Christie in Withington. The technique is relatively new and available on the NHS. The hospital has carried out six similar transplants in the past year.
David said: “Things were looking pretty grim until I got the breakthrough news about the possibility of an umbilical cord stem cell transplant. The team from The Christie managed to find two separate umbilical cord donors that were a good match. I just felt elated. It was something to hope for, like a lifeline was being thrown to you. I just grabbed it with both hands and hoped for the best.”
David spent six weeks in hospital. Stem cells from the second cord began to work and David’s condition slowly began to improve. The Christie is opening a new haematology and transplant unit this spring.
Dr Mike Dennis, director of the haematology and transplant unit at The Christie, said: “Umbilical cord blood is very rich in stem cells, which being so immature has phenomenal regenerative powers. These were a great, alternative source of cells for David, in fact the only option, as after a worldwide search he had no other available donor.”