‘Magic bags’ of blood help Sophia beat blood cancer

Sophia Bird has completed her first ever day in school and rung the bell to end her blood cancer treatment.

The five-year-old received around 25 “magic bags” of blood and platelets during her treatment and her parents are supporting NHS Blood and Transplant’s appeal for new donors during Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September).

More than 20% of the blood used by hospitals goes to patients with blood cancers.

Sophia rings a silver bell that's mounted on a wall Sophia was diagnosed with Pre-B Cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in June 2017 – her early symptoms included waking in the night and wanting to be carried. She started school this September and rang the bell on Thursday 12 September 2019.

Mum Gemma, 35, a manager in the NHS from Gerrards Cross in South Buckinghamshire, said: “It was very general symptoms at first that didn’t cause much concern. We thought it might be chicken pox, which was rife in her nursery – then one morning she couldn’t walk.

“I felt broken to get the diagnosis. Her treatment began the same day. She needed an urgent blood and platelet transfusion. “

Sophia had around 15 units of blood cancer and around 13 units of platelets. Many people with cancer need blood and platelets because both the chemotherapy and the cancer itself can reduce their cell counts.

“Sophia is too young to understand fully but we have always called them the ‘magic bags’ which will make her better,” said Gemma.

“You can instantly see the change in colour. Blood donors are our heroes! Our little girl wouldn’t be here without them. We donate and around 10 family and friends have been inspired to start donating too.”

Sophia rang the bell at Wexham Park Hospital last week to mark the end of her treatment and she is due to spend her first few days in school this month.

Sophia in her school uniform “We are so proud of her and excited all of our future. We can’t wait to begin our next chapter - with less hospitals and freedom to do things we’ve missed out on.”

An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesperson said: “Blood donors help blood cancer patients every day and we delighted to see Sophia’s progress. We always need new donors to replace those people who can no longer date. If you start giving blood or platelets you will save lives - you will feel amazing.”

It is quick and easy to book an appointment to give blood. Call 0300 123 23 23 use the NHSGiveBlood app or visit www.blood.co.uk

Not everyone is able to give platelets, so we have to do a quick assessment and we take a blood sample. Call 0300 123 23 23, use the NHSGiveBlood app, or visit www.platelets.blood.co.uk

NHSBT has 23 permanent donor centres in London (Tooting, Edgware, West End), Manchester (Plymouth Grove and Norfolk House), Cambridge, Luton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester, Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Stoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, Oxford, Southampton, Poole and Plymouth.

Notes to editors

NHS Blood and Transplant is a joint England and Wales Special Health Authority. We provide the blood donation service for England and the organ donation service for the UK. We also provide donated tissues, stem cells and cord blood. We are an essential part of the NHS, saving and improving lives through public donation.

It is quick and easy to book an appointment to give blood. Call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk

NHSBT has 23 permanent donor centres in London (Tooting, Edgware, West End) Manchester (Plymouth Grove and Norfolk House), Cambridge, Luton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester, Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Stoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, Oxford, Southampton, Poole and Plymouth. Our mobile teams also collect blood at community venues such as church halls around the country.

NHS Blood and Transplant needs to collect 1.4 million units of blood each year to meet the needs of patients across England.

There are four main blood groups – O, A, B and AB. O negative (the universal blood group) and B negative are particularly vulnerable to shortfalls. So, we want people with those blood groups to donate as regularly as they can.

The overall demand for blood is falling by 3-4% per year due to improvements in clinical practice and our work with hospitals to ensure blood is used appropriately for patients.

We need 135,000 new blood donors each year to replace those who stop donating and to ensure we have the right mix of blood groups to match patient needs in the future.

We urgently need more black donors as they are more likely to have the blood type needed to treat the increasing number of patients suffering from sickle cell disease.

There is an urgent need for donors with Ro blood. Only 2% of our donors have Ro type blood. Collecting enough is a constant challenge. Ro is often used to save people with the rare blood disorder, sickle cell disease. Ro blood is ten times more common in black people than in white people.

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