Stem cells donated 15 years ago let poorly boy, five, leave home for the first time in six months

A five-year-old boy has been able to leave his home for the first time in six months after a successful stem cell transplant – made from a baby's umbilical cord blood donated 15 years ago.

By Dominic Robertson

Published Jul 20, 2024

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Gunner Lewis-Vale, from Highley, near Bridgnorth, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder in March 2021, when he was about 17 months old.

At the time, his parents Holly and Jamie Lewis-Vale, both 34, were told that without a transplant, Gunner would only live for about one or two years.

A previous transplant, from a donor in Germany, had failed.

Gunner Lewis-Vale, 5. Picture: NHS Blood and Transplant/PA Wire. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

The latest procedure was aimed at extending and improving Gunner's life.

Incredibly the stem cells used were actually donated to NHS Blood and Transplant back in 2008 and were frozen with liquid nitrogen vapour at -150C until a match was found.

Blood and Transplant of staff from NHS Blood and Transplant getting the frozen cord stem cells out of storage at NHSBT Filton in preparation for five-year-old Gunner Lewis-Vale's transplant. Picture: NHS Blood and Transplant/PA Wire Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.