Sunderland family's prayers answered as stem cell match finally found for battling youngster Chloe Gray

Chloe Gray, from Silksworth, was born with a rare blood disorder called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA).

This means the nine-year-old’s body doesn’t produce red blood cells and she needs regular blood transfusions to stay alive.

She has been in urgent need of a blood stem cell donation, but without a match in her family, a campaign called ‘A Hero For Chloe’ was launched in a bid to encourage people to sign up to the DKMS register.

Now the family’s prayers have been answered after medics discovered a 9/10 match for the courageous youngster.

The Plains Farm Primary School pupil is due to travel to London this week with mum Francesca Bowser where she will meet with doctors at St Mary’s Hospital to discuss the next steps.

Francesca, 28, said: “We found out a month or so ago when we got a call from the transplant team at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, who said that they have found a 9/10 match.

“The match is from someone in the UK but we won’t get to find out who they are until years after and even then it is up to them if they want us to find out.

“It’s surreal to finally find a match as we were close to thinking it was never going to happen.”

They now hope that Chloe will be able to undergo the transplant at the RVI within a year, but say tests still needs to be done to make sure the match is still eligible before the procedure is carried out.

Francesca continued: “There are lots of tests to be done and then it will take six to eight weeks for the treatment.

“There are still risks with an unrelated donor so we just have to make sure she is stable before going ahead.”

For more information visit www.dkms.org.uk/en/with-chloe and to follow Chloe’s story visit her Facebook page www.facebook.com/aheroforchloe/