A poorly four-year-old girl with a ‘one in a million’ bone marrow condition has been handed a ‘perfect’ lifeline donation – thanks to a complete stranger.
Myla Mae Hatcher was diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia, a condition only cured by a transplant, just weeks before Christmas.
Her devastated parents Danielle and Jon were told a ’10/10′ match was the only way the youngster could receive a transplant due to the rarity of her condition.
The tortuous three-month search for a match for the “warrior princess” is now over after the family were told the news by staff at Sheffield Children’s hospital.
Danielle said: “Words cannot even express how we feel at this moment.
“As a parent, nothing and no one could ever prepare you for what you go through when your child is poorly.
“These past three months have been the most terrifying and heartbreaking of our lives but we finally can begin to look to the future and getting our little girl better.
“It’s going to be a long hard journey but we will be there by her side every single step of the way and I have no doubt in my mind that my strong willed, brave stubborn little madam will come through this and will beat this, my super little warrior princess.
“We owe the biggest thank you from the bottom of our heart to everyone who has been through this with us.
“To the person who is selflessly going to give their bone marrow to our daughter to give her the best chance of a healthy life thank you will never be enough to this person who I can only describe as our hero.”
The rare disease stops the regular formation of red and white blood cells and means the poorly youngster has to undergo three platelet transfusions a week.
The condition means Myla’s immune system is weak and makes her extremely vulnerable to the most common colds and flu.
The lively little girl is a lover of ballet, gymnastics and swimming.
Her devastated mum Danielle Hatcher, 28, of Sheffield, South Yorks., said: “We initially thought she had leukaemia – that was the worst fear at the start.
“They did some tests and told us they would be in touch but they called us back the same day asking us to come in.
“It was an odd feeling – it wasn’t leukemia which was a relief but that soon changed after we were told it was SAA.
“Our world fell in – it was terrible news.”
Myla Mae’s parents had noticed bruising on her legs and then some behind her ear and tests at Sheffield Children’s Hospital revealed the bad news.
They were told by medical professionals the disease is even more rare in children – and is ‘one in a million’.
The family are still hoping to raise awareness of the condition and to encourage people to sign up to the bone marrow transplant register.
To sign up to the bone marrow transplant register visit www.dkms.org.uk.
