Five children are alive today thanks to a ground-breaking clinical trial that received funding from The Little Princess Trust.
The children were all referred from palliative care pathways and had extremely high-risk acute leukaemia.
The success of the pioneering study is down to the help of newborn babies as cord blood cells taken from the placenta, along with a series of white blood cell transfusions, have been proven to provide the most effective treatment.
Eight-year-old Sarah Marica was one of those to undergo the trial when her cancer returned following chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Professor Rob Wynn, from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Sarah is one of five children from our trial who are alive and in remission as a result of this effective experimental treatment.
“Without this clinical trial, it is unlikely that any of the children would still be alive.”
Simona Marica, the mother of Sarah, said: “As a nurse, I knew nothing more could be done if the leukaemia came back again because her body would not be able to tolerate any more chemotherapy.
“I knew this trial was her last chance of life.”
Sarah, who is from Cornwall and received a wig from The Little Princess Trust when she first underwent treatment, has now been in remission for more than one year – and her family is finally putting the pain of the last few years behind them to concentrate on the future.
Simona added: “As a result of this research, Sarah is now fully enjoying life. She is my inspiration, and this treatment has given us all our lives back.”
Phil Brace, Chief Executive at The Little Princess Trust, said: “The magnificent progress made by Professor Wynn and his team at Manchester, and the incredible bravery shown by Sarah and her family, inspire us all to continue focussing our efforts on funding science that will lead to kinder and more effective treatments for all childhood cancers.”
“We are so very grateful to our supporters who ensure we can fund clinical trials that bring about such incredible results.”
Help The Little Princess Trust continue to give Hair and Hope to children and young people with cancer by ordering your free fundraising pack today.
