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Saint Thomas More Respect Life Comittee at 1439 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 US - Grandmother Saves Brother by Becoming World's Oldest Adult Stem Cell Donor
Grandmother Saves Brother by Becoming World's Oldest Adult Stem Cell Donor |
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A UK grandmother has become the oldest person ever to donate stem cells—to save her younger brother’s life. Despite being too old under medical guidelines, Erica Henderson, 75, was allowed to undergo the procedure to help leukaemia sufferer Paul Hallowes.
High-dose chemotherapy had impaired his ability to produce blood cells, and he would have died without stem-cell therapy. Doctors found no suitable donor among his three children and five grandchildren. Even the national database of 600,000 blood donors failed to produce a suitable match for his O-negative blood group.
Doctors told Mr Hallowes, 69, he had just two years to live, but his sister insisted they test her. They discovered she was a “perfect match”. Medical rules, however, state that normally only people under 70 can donate the life-saving cells.
But doctors at Royal Marsden Hospital in London declared Mrs Henderson “100 percent fit”. The transfer of cells took place at the hospital in October, and two weeks ago doctors told Paul he was in remission. Doctors say Mrs Henderson, of Westward Ho! in Devon, has made medical history as the world’s oldest stem cell donor.
“I have saved his life—it is wonderful”, she exclaimed. “I’m just glad I was able to go through with it. If you love someone very much, you will do whatever you can”. The cells were used to replace cancerous cells in her brother that chemotherapy had destroyed
High-dose chemotherapy had impaired his ability to produce blood cells, and he would have died without stem-cell therapy. Doctors found no suitable donor among his three children and five grandchildren. Even the national database of 600,000 blood donors failed to produce a suitable match for his O-negative blood group.
Doctors told Mr Hallowes, 69, he had just two years to live, but his sister insisted they test her. They discovered she was a “perfect match”. Medical rules, however, state that normally only people under 70 can donate the life-saving cells.
But doctors at Royal Marsden Hospital in London declared Mrs Henderson “100 percent fit”. The transfer of cells took place at the hospital in October, and two weeks ago doctors told Paul he was in remission. Doctors say Mrs Henderson, of Westward Ho! in Devon, has made medical history as the world’s oldest stem cell donor.
“I have saved his life—it is wonderful”, she exclaimed. “I’m just glad I was able to go through with it. If you love someone very much, you will do whatever you can”. The cells were used to replace cancerous cells in her brother that chemotherapy had destroyed