Leo Sproson is at the centre of a worldwide search for a match as he is treated for leukaemia and his family face a race against time to find people who can save the teen
A desperately ill boy who’s just 16 is in dire need of a stem cell donor to give him a ‘second chance at life’, and now a global search has been launched to help him.
Leo Sproson, from Bromsgrove in the Midlands, is at the centre of a worldwide search for a match as he is treated for leukaemia. His parents Jenna and Warren have joined forces with the blood cancer charity DKMS. They face a race against time to find people who could save Leo and others like him with blood cancer.
The Mirror worked with the charity last year to bring vital treatment to Jasper Makungu, 12. He has Sickle Cell Disease and flew 4,000 miles from his home in Zambia for treatment in India after we told of his plight.
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Our Change the Law for Life crusade brought the opt out system to England for organ donation in May, 2020, named in honour of Max Johnson, now 17, and his heart donor Keira Law. Max and Keira’s law means people are presumed to be donors in England unless they opt out of the system, though the consent of loved ones is always sought.
Leo’s mum Jenna Elwell, 41, said: “He has had liver disease since he was 12 and for these last four years has hit his immune system. He is very vulnerable to colds, Covid, any kind of infection. He has had one round of chemo and he will need another round this month. It kills all the cancer in your blood but in Leo’s case he needs a stem cell transplant to give him a fighting chance afterwards.”
Leo Sproson has undergone treatment and is now in isolation
Jenna, who runs her own pet care firm, admitted: “He is relying on the help of a complete stranger. He has no siblings, who would be the best match. If you are in remission for five years, they say you are clear, but obviously there is no cure. If we cannot find a match for Leo but find other donors, at least they may help others in the same position as him.
“His liver disease and [cancer] are both quite rare; bless him, he has had both. But he has taken it like a champ, he has been ill for so long and yet he is always trying to make us laugh. Considering what he is going through, he is really funny.”
Leo Sproson before he went into hospital for treatment in isolation
Leo went into liver failure days after his 12th birthday, before his diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia at 16. Jenna recalled: “I remember the doctor telling me, and I just burst into tears in the hallway. My heart was broken, my world just fell apart. There is no way to describe the utter heartache. Leo is our only child and our best friend.
“I then had to be the one to tell him he had cancer at 16 years old. He actually took it much better than me and his dad, he was quiet for a while. But he’s determined to beat it, and he had us laughing again within a few hours.”
Warren, 46, a driver, added: “Leo is my whole world. He’s my mini me, my greatest joy, and he deserves a second chance at life. Watching him face this fight with such courage breaks my heart, but it also fills me with pride.
Leo Sproson loves going out and about near his home in Bromsgrove
“He deserves so much more than this, he deserves a future. If you could be the one to give him that chance, you wouldn’t just be saving a life, you’d be giving my boy a chance to grow up, chase his dreams, and live the full life he deserves. Your support means more than words can ever say.”
DKMS spokesperson Bronagh Hughes told how the right person joining the register “could give Leo his life back” as he faces isolation in hospital in Birmingham. Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in this country.
Every year, nearly 13,000 people die from blood cancer in the UK. At any one time there are around 2,000 people here who need a stem cell transplant. There is a sign up session on Sunday Nov 23, 11am to 4pm, at St Godwald’s church hall in Bromsgrove to help Leo
*Order a swab kit at: dkms.org.uk
