A mum whose daughter fought rare leukaemia has thanked the 40 people who saved her life with crucial blood transfusions. Aila Milne was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia when she was just five months old in July 2022.
The poorly tot underwent four rounds of gruelling chemotherapy coupled with up to three blood transfusions a day to recover her red blood cells and platelets. During treatment she had 40 transfusions from 40 different donors, which her parents credit with ''saving her life''.
After one last round of chemotherapy, on Christmas Day 2022, Alia, now one, was declared cancer-free a month later. She is currently thriving at home with parents Roisin Butler, 29, and Jason Milne, 31, a music student.
Roisin, a manager at an optician, said: "It's so lovely to just do normal things now. The first morning we came home from the hospital I had her in her highchair and I made her breakfast for the first time in months.
"We put music on and had a little dance too, it's something so simple, but I appreciate every day. It was just such a selfless act that saved her, I think giving blood is the kindest thing a person can do. Every-time you donate you are saving someone, you saved my daughter and I will be forever grateful."
After giving birth to Aila on February 23, 2022, Roisin noticed at just four weeks old her daughter had caught a cold. Concerned about her health, Roisin, who lives in in Poole, Dorset, booked a GP appointment after talking with health visitors.
She said: "We thought maybe she had a diary allergy, that was one route. She could barely breathe.
"The children's outpatient unit at Poole Hospital booked her an appointment for late September, but I was phoning everyday for a closer appointment. It was incredibly hard because it felt like none of them were listening to me. Aila was sleeping for up to 20 hours a day."
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Roisin finally managed to get Aila an appointment on July 22, 2022.
She said: "The consultant we had was incredible. They organised blood tests for that day. Aila had a lump on her head, so they set up an ultrasound for that too.
''Later that evening the doctor rang me and asked us to rush Alia back in immediately as her white blood cells were not looking normal. I just knew something was wrong.
"Two consultants were already sitting waiting in a room for us. They told us we were about to have a conversation we'd never forget."
Doctors informed Roisin and Jason that their daughter had leukaemia and needed to be transferred to Southampton General Hospital. After waiting for a bed to become available overnight, Aila was transferred the following morning by ambulance.
Roisin said: "We were told Aila was so unwell they didn't know if she would make the 40-minute journey to Southampton. I just remember vomiting outside the ambulance.
"I'd gone to get some fresh air and, because they were so unsure, I felt sure she'd pass away. I just couldn't see us getting there, my body was in shock because I hadn't eaten or slept for so long. She was in an intensive care pod too so I couldn't even hold her."
After arriving at Southampton, Aila was intubated while she had a seven-hour MRI scan which revealed tumours all over her skull. Despite this, doctors were still unsure as to what type of leukaemia it was and she was ''too unwell for doctors to even check''. On her fifth day in intensive care, Aila was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, which is more commonly seen in adults.
Roisin said: "There was absolutely nothing that could have stopped that diagnosis, it was just extremely bad luck. She had the leukaemia cells when I was pregnant with her.
"We were taken into a family room straight away and they told us to essentially bring our families up to say goodbye. She had brain monitoring on too because of the tumours in her head.
"The staff were incredible, but there was just a silence when they spoke to us because they didn't have any good news to tell us. After five days in ICU she was transferred to a cancer ward for treatment.
"I stayed with her on the ward and there was a Ronald McDonald House where her dad stayed. She definitely had times where it was incredibly touch and go. They didn't know if she would be able to start treatment."
Doctors were able to get her stable for treatment, with Aila going through four courses of chemotherapy over six months, each 10 days at a time followed by six weeks of rest. Rosin described how her daughter ''lost her hair, struggled to gain weight, and was vomiting constantly''.
After receiving medication through a direct line into her heart, the tot also caught an infection which developed into sepsis in December 2022. Doctors treated it quickly, saving her life. Needing 40 blood transfusions over the course of her chemotherapy, the little girl had 25 separate transfusions for platelets and 15 transfusions for blood cells.
Roisin said: "I could definitely tell for a day or two before when she needed her transfusion. She'd become very tired and just not herself. Almost instantly when it was put on she'd perk up and her ability to react to chemotherapy was better too, she was a lot stronger in herself as well."
After finally returning home in January 2023, the family are keen to make normal memories away from hospitals.
"It's such a relief but it's just started the next part of her journey now to make sure she doesn't relapse,'' Roisin said. "She's started building up relationships with members of her family, as the only person she could meet in hospital was my mum.
"She can play with her cousins and have people hold her for the first time. She's always "bopping around" and loves to dance and interact with people she meets.
"I feel so lucky that in this country we have people that donate blood for free and continue to do it. It's just so selfless and I can't thank them enough.
"The hospitals can do incredible things, but the one thing they can't do is produce blood. It's just human kindness, other people are watching out for her without even realising.
"I'd like to thank the staff on the ward too, because they became our friends and family while we were there. Abby's Heroes, the charity, provided financial support so me and Jason could stay the whole six months and Young Lives Vs Cancer gave us support workers to help with life on the ward."
To other mums who are worried about their own children's health, Roisin advises to "follow your instincts". She added: "Often it's not cancer, but it can be something, don't be scared to ask for a second opinion."
