FROM FIRST STEPS TO A FIGHT FOR LIFE: THE STORY OF BABY RONNIE 🏥💔👼
Mum’s baby had just started crawling – days later he was rushed to hospital
Ronnie was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia just a week before his first birthday, which is fatal if left untreated, after his mum noticed blood coming from his nose and blisters in his mouth
Ronnie, from Merseyside, had just started to crawl when his parents noticed something was wrong
The mother of a baby boy who received a rare blood disorder diagnosis just a week shy of his first birthday is appealing for people to register as stem cell donors in the hope of saving her son.
Ronnie, from Merseyside, had only recently begun crawling when his mum Laura observed he was developing bruises with unusual ease. The one year old was ultimately diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, which proves fatal without treatment.
The condition occurs when bone marrow fails to produce sufficient new blood cells for normal bodily function, with approximately 100 to 150 new cases recorded across the UK annually.
Laura, 30, said: “He had only just started crawling, then three days later when I got him up, he had blood coming from his nose, blisters in his mouth, and red dots on his body.”
Ronnie was rushed to hospital where medics initially suspected he had leukaemia, a type of blood cancer. He was then taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for blood and platelet transfusions, reports the Liverpool
Laura said: “The room went quiet, our hearts were pounding, and then instantly our minds were jumping to the worst-case scenario and thinking how is my 11-month-old meant to battle such a deadly disease at such a young age. This is a day that will forever be engraved in our minds, every time we hear sirens now it takes us back to that night of being blue lighted to Alder Hey.”
Cancer was subsequently dismissed, though medical staff faced difficulties examining Ronnie’s bone marrow due to how sparse it was. The family learnt his levels stood at just 5% with remarkably few cells, while a baby of his age ought to have 100%.
Further testing ultimately confirmed Ronnie had aplastic anaemia, and his parents were informed a bone marrow transplant would offer his sole chance of recovery. Aplastic anaemia can strike anyone at any age, though it’s more prevalent amongst individuals aged 10 to 20, and those beyond 60. Signs include fatigue, breathlessness, headaches, bleeding from the nose or gums, and infections.
Laura said her son remains “happy and smiling” despite undergoing infusions and injections to boost his bone marrow production. Yet there’s also concern regarding infections as Ronnie has been diagnosed with neutropenia. This results in a particular white blood cell crucial for combating bacterial infections dropping to abnormally low levels.
The family is collaborating with the charity Anthony Nolan on the Register4Ronnie campaign. They’re hoping this will prompt more individuals to join the stem cell register to assist children like Ronnie, alongside youngsters with other conditions such as leukaemia.
Laura said: “Now we have a diagnosis we have to do something to help. There are so many other kids out there who need a match, we are putting it out there for Ronnie and to educate people about the lifesaving potential of stem cell transplants.
“Being from Merseyside, we all stick together from here. We’re sharing Ronnie’s story because we want people to get tested, if a match comes up for him then great, but a match for someone else, that’s amazing as well.”
Signing up to the Anthony Nolan register costs nothing and is open to those aged between 16 and 30. Following online registration, the charity dispatches a swab kit, which can be returned by post once filled in. Laura mentioned the family also hopes to increase understanding of aplastic anaemia, saying: “No-one’s heard of it.”
Rowena Bentley, head of programme and community recruitment at Anthony Nolan, said: “It’s heartbreaking that baby Ronnie and his family are going through this, and we are doing our best to support them. At Anthony Nolan we give hope to families affected by blood cancers and disorders, but we can’t do it without the lifesavers that sign up to our register.
“If you are aged 16-30, please sign up to the Anthony Nolan register online and send back your swabs. You could be the match that someone like baby Ronnie needs to survive.”
Echo.
Laura said: “The room went quiet, our hearts were pounding, and then instantly our minds were jumping to the worst-case scenario and thinking how is my 11-month-old meant to battle such a deadly disease at such a young age. This is a day that will forever be engraved in our minds, every time we hear sirens now it takes us back to that night of being blue lighted to Alder Hey.”
Cancer was subsequently dismissed, though medical staff faced difficulties examining Ronnie’s bone marrow due to how sparse it was. The family learnt his levels stood at just 5% with remarkably few cells, while a baby of his age ought to have 100%.
