A boy’s life was saved by the donation of a baby’s umbilical cord from a stranger.
Riley Maclennan, seven, is now free from cancer and has become the face of World Cancer Day in Scotland.
The youngster, from Inverness, received a stem cell transplant from the cord in September after the disease came back for a second time.
He endured chemotherapy and weeks in isolation at hospital in Glasgow as he battled the disease.
Now in remission, Riley and his parents Kevin Maclennan, 55, and Moira Black, 45, are sharing his story to inspire others to play a part in the fight against cancer.
Kevin said: “There’s a new mum out there who has saved our little boy’s life. We’ve been given the greatest gift of all from a stranger.”
Riley was two when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia on December 1, 2016.
After four years of chemotherapy, he was told he was in remission in October 2020. But on May 15, he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare type of blood cancer in children.
Kevin said: “Just as we finally thought we’d put that chapter of our lives behind us, we were right back in it.”
After giving birth, some mothers choose to donate cord blood for transplant. Medics believed a donor’s healthy cells would reboot Riley’s immune system and, hopefully, stop cancer cells from growing again.
Riley had chemotherapy in an isolation room over 14 days before he was ready for the transplant at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. It was administered in to Riley’s bloodstream via a syringe last September.
Kevin said: “There were so many hard parts of Riley’s treatment but the transplant was the chance of a new start.”
Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman in Scotland, said: “As we mark our anniversary this World Cancer Day, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to Riley’s family for their incredible commitment to the cause.”
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