Family's Urgent Plea to Save Their Son
A Midlands family has launched a desperate nationwide search for a single, kind stranger who could offer their teenage son a lifeline in his fight against a devastating blood cancer diagnosis.
Leo Sproson, aged 16 and from Bromsgrove, was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, turning his family's world upside down. Now, they are working tirelessly with the blood cancer charity DKMS to find a matching stem cell donor, a procedure that could give Leo, and others like him, a second chance at life.
A Courageous Battle Against Illness
Leo's health struggles began years earlier. Just after his 12th birthday, he was diagnosed with acute liver disease, leading to liver failure from which he bravely recovered. This left him with ongoing blood issues that required regular monitoring.
For the last two years, life had been relatively stable. However, things took a sharp turn when Leo began experiencing extreme fatigue and unusual bruising. His mother, Jenna, acting on instinct, took him for tests.
"Leo looked very pale, and my mother’s instinct told me he needed a blood test ASAP," Jenna recalled. "That same night we got a call advising us to get Leo to the hospital right away."
He was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where he immediately needed a blood transfusion. Within days, the family received the shattering news: acute myeloid leukaemia.
"I remember the doctor telling me, and I burst into tears in the hallway," Jenna said. "My heart was broken, my world fell apart. I had to be the one to tell him he had cancer at 16."
The Critical Need for a Donor Match
The situation is particularly urgent for Leo because his chances of finding a matching donor within his own family are extremely low. Only one in three patients find a familial match, and Leo has no siblings.
This means his survival depends on the generosity of a stranger from the stem cell donor register. Alarmingly, just seven per cent of the eligible UK population is currently signed up. At any given time, there are around 2,000 people in the UK waiting for their match.
Leo's father, Warren, made an emotional appeal: "Leo is my whole world. He’s my mini me, my greatest joy, and he deserves a second chance at life. 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."
Leo has already endured one round of intense chemotherapy, a gruelling process that his parents found heartbreaking to witness.
How You Can Help: A Simple Act of Kindness
To help in the search, Leo's family and DKMS are organising a special donor registration event. It will be held at St Godwald’s church hall in Bromsgrove between 1pm and 6pm on Sunday, November 23.
Attendees can quickly and easily join the register by completing a few health questions and providing cheek swabs. For those who cannot attend, a swab kit can be ordered online from the DKMS website.
The registration process is straightforward, and most people will never be called to donate. However, if you are a match for a patient like Leo, 90% of donations are done via a simple outpatient procedure similar to giving blood platelets. DKMS provides full support throughout the entire journey.
Jenna added, "It isn’t until you need it you realise how important it is to sign up. You have the potential to literally save a life, and there is someone out there who will be able to save our only child’s life."
Bronagh Hughes, a spokesperson for DKMS, emphasised the ease of the process: "For Leo, the right person joining the register could give him his life back. The process is very simple, it’s so easy to give someone a second chance."
To find out more or to order a swab kit, visit dkms.org.uk.
