Ellaria, now aged eight, received a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on Christmas Eve in 2019
A mother who gave umbilical cord blood following the birth of her child has revealed how a similar donation saved her daughter’s life just years later. Cord blood, which is abundant in stem cells, is collected from the placenta and umbilical cord after a baby is delivered.
It has proven effective in treating various cancers, immune disorders and genetic conditions. Natasha Kirkpatrick made the decision to donate her daughter Ellaria’s cord blood when she arrived in 2017 at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
Five years on, in 2022, Ellaria herself required a cord blood donation to combat blood cancer. Mrs Kirkpatrick stated that without the donation Ellaria ‘would not be here’.
Ellaria, now aged eight, received a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on Christmas Eve in 2019 when she was just two years old. Following chemotherapy, the disease returned.
Ellaria was scheduled for a stem cell transplant in 2022, but it was abruptly cancelled when the donor contracted Covid-19. She subsequently underwent an emergency cord blood transplant at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Mrs Kirkpatrick, 37, a teacher from Marston Moretaine near Bedford, said: “I knew about cord blood because I’d donated Ellaria’s own cord blood when she was born. The actual stem cell transplant is not scary – it’s syringes and the stem cells going into the blood – but it was a very hard time overall, Ellaria had a virus and was an inpatient for a good five months.
“She is still being monitored and she has some after-effects that affected her heart and brain a little. You would not know what she has been through from looking at her, but what she has been through is just incredible.
“She’s now in Year 4 at primary school. She is a typical girl; loves her music like Elvis, K-Pop and the Spice Girls, her dancing. She is funny. She’s quite a girly girl but with a boy’s sense of humour.”
The mum-of-three, who is pregnant with her fourth baby with her husband Jonathan, added: “I cannot thank the mum who donated the cord blood Ellaria received enough. Without the doctors and without that transplant, she would not be here.
“There are really no words to express how I feel. I just think it’s great that people do it -and I was proud to do it myself.” This comes as NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) revealed it has dispatched its 1,000th unit of baby umbilical cord blood for stem cell transplants.
The NHSBT cord blood bank in Filton, Bristol, established in 1996, ranks as the fourth-largest cord blood bank globally and stores nearly 20,000 donations, ready for clinical use. The facility distributed its 999th and 1,000th units at the beginning of the year, both destined for the same young adult battling leukaemia.
Women delivering at specific hospitals – University College Hospital, Luton and Dunstable Hospital and St George’s Hospital – have the option to donate once the placenta has been delivered.
The cord blood is frozen and kept at minus 196C until a suitable match is identified. The donation remains usable for decades following collection.
NHSBT revealed that the most recent 20 cord blood transplants have been dispatched to hospitals across London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Canada and the Netherlands, predominantly for treating leukaemia but also genetic immunodeficiencies in paediatric patients.
Marking the 1,000th transplant, Alex Ross, head of NHS Blood and Transplant’s Cord Blood Bank, said: “This was a special moment for our Cord Bank that we’ve been looking forward to for months. We thank every generous mum who has donated over the years.
“Cord blood is rich in stem cells. They are extracted from the placenta and umbilical cord after your baby is born. The placenta and cord are usually thrown away but when donated they can save lives.
“A transplant from stem cells found in cord blood can be a very effective type of treatment for certain conditions, for example in patients with acute leukaemia or severe immunodeficiencies.
“Stem cells from cord blood can be safely stored for years. Your baby may be grown up by the time they save a life, perhaps even older than the recipient – it’s a very special way to donate.”
