Teddy was only a year old when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors believed that the little boy did not have much time but thanks to a miracle, he was given a new lease on life!
Today, doctors estimate that the boy has a 97 percent chance of survival – largely thanks to something many parents tend “discard” without a second thought.
Little Teddy’s mother, 37-year-old Sarah Cripps, was devastated when her 17-month-old son Teddy was diagnosed with leukemia.
She had noticed some swollen lumps on the back of his head. Even then, she had a small suspicion of what it could be. Sarah was terrified by the idea.
“When I saw the lumps, I was really scared. My cousin actually died of leukemia when I was about 12 years old, so I went straight to the doctor to express my concerns,” she told Manchester Evening News.
Doctors were not particularly concerned about Teddy, but because his mother was so worried, she sought a second opinion from another doctor within 24 hours. That’s when she found out that something serious was wrong with the boy.
The doctor took a blood sample from Teddy and discovered that Sarah’s worries had legitimacy. The 1-year-old had acute myeloid leukemia, also known as blood cancer.
The boy needed chemotherapy, and he was also in urgent need of a stem cell transplant. Sarah was told that there was a 13 percent chance of him surviving. “I was convinced that Teddy’s twin brother George would be a match. But when I found out he wasn’t, it felt like he was diagnosed again. The floor gave way under me,” says Sarah.
“The doctors said there was a high chance they would find another good match for Teddy, and luckily they did.” They found a donor in Spain. He received his new blood from an 11-year-old boy in Spain. The blood came from the placenta that the boy’s mother chose to donate after his birth. The organ contains umbilical cord blood which is full of stem cells.
The transplant went smoothly. Teddy was back to living a healthy life, eating nutritious food and growing bigger.
“For me, the three things that saved Teddy’s life were an early diagnosis, good nutrition, and a stem cell transplant from umbilical cord blood,” says Sarah.
Today, Teddy is 3 years old and has a 97 percent chance of survival.
Sarah appeals to all mothers, She particularly thanks the Spanish woman who chose to donate her placenta after birth. She now appeals to others to do the same, instead of letting midwives throw it away.
“If I stood there with my child in front of a pregnant mother and said, ‘My child will die without a stem cell transplant, and his best chance of survival is from your placenta that you’re going to throw in the trash – can I have it?’ I don’t think there’s a mother in the world who would say, ‘No,’” says Sarah.
She goes on, “You will never understand the feeling of hearing that there is a way to save your child’s life, but it doesn’t come from medicine you can buy, but from a completely selfless person who one day woke up and made the decision to give this gift.”
What a wonderful story! It’s nice to hear that things have gotten much better for little Teddy and he is able to live a healthy life. Share this with others to let them know about how important it is to keep your placenta!
