Shropshire boy gets first days outside after stem cell transplant
Gunner Lewis-Vale has a life-limiting metabolic disorder.
Last updated 20th Jul 2024
A five-year-old boy from Shropshire has been allowed outside for the first time, six months after receiving a stem cell transplant.
Gunner Lewis-Vale from Highley has a life-limiting metabolic disorder which stops his body breaking down sugar.
In January, he received a stem cell transplant using umbilical cord blood cells donated 15 years earlier in 2008.
The cells were cryopreserved with liquid nitrogen vapour at below -150 Celsius until the match was found.
Gunner’s mum Holly, and her husband Jamie, both 34, are now supporting NHS Blood and Transplant’s appeal for more people to register as stem cell donors.
The stem cells for Gunner’s transplant were provided by the NHS Blood and Transplant Cord Blood bank team in Bristol.
Holly said: “We had the amazing news that after six months in isolation, Gunner’s immune system is now producing had enough white blood cells for him to start venturing outside, which means he can enjoy the summer.
“So far, we have ventured to the park, skate park, dog walking, school runs for his big sister and out to feed the ducks. Gunner’s cheeky personality is coming right back. He’s a clever boy with an amazing bond with his big sister Daisy.
“We are eternally grateful to the incredible mother who donated their baby’s umbilical cord. The new white blood cells from the donor will hopefully make the enzyme he lacked which breaks down sugar.”
Gunner previously underwent a stem cell transplant from a donor in Germany, which failed.
The second procedure aims to extend his life and giving him a better quality of life. When was Gunner was diagnosed aged 17 months in March 2021, his family were told that without a transplant he had around one to two years to live.
Guy Parkes, Head of Stem Cell Donation and Transplant at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We’re delighted to see Gunner playing outside for the first time since he received his stem cell transplant from a cord blood unit donated to our NHS cord blood bank.
“Stem cell transplants are only possible thanks to the generosity of donors and we thank the mother who chose to donate her babies’ umbilical cord more than 10 years ago. We wish Gunner and his family all the best.”