September 21, 2016 was the day Matthew Gaut’s life was turned upside down.
Following three years of treatment, his son Harry tragically lost his life to leukaemia at the age of six. First diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) in May 2013, this had morphed into a more aggressive form of cancer known as AML (acute myeloid leukaemia) by 2016. Initially taken to Croydon University Hospital, Harry was later transferred to Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton to be cared for.
A relapse in 2016 resulted in a stem cell transplant, which represented his only chance of a cure. Although a match was found for Harry, he sadly developed severe symptoms of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). This typically occurs when white blood cells received from the donor attack one’s own body cells.
