A second chance on life for 2-year-old with lifesaving stem cell donor match

Good news looks different for everyone, but it always brings delight and happiness when it is received.

This was the case for Maddy Chesworth and her family earlier in October when DKMS Africa announced on Facebook that a stem cell donor match was found.

The two-year-old was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at the age of three months in November 2021, and, even though she managed to beat the disease initially, the cancer returned earlier this year. The Chesworth family was told that Maddy’s only hope of living a full and happy life, was a stem cell transplant, and the search for a suitable donor started.

Maddy’s mother, Allessandra, said that they had an overwhelming response during the donor drives held a few months earlier with almost 140 people completing the DKMS forms and swabs to be tested as possible donors.

“We found out that there are 9 out of 10 matches for Maddy, and even though we were hoping for a 10/10, doctors are happy and we will go ahead with the transplant. If a 10th match does pop up within the next month then we will look at that donor as well,” she added.

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She confirmed that Maddy’s journey is far from over, and there are quite a few things that need to happen before the transplant, “The timing of the transplant depends on the donor’s availability and health. If all goes well, the transplant will be done by the end of November. In the meantime, Maddy will have to undergo a procedure to have a Hickman Catheter inserted as well as having one of her ovaries removed and frozen. This is to ensure that, when she is older, she would have the option of being able to have her own children, as the strong chemotherapy she will receive before the transplant, will most probably lead to her becoming sterile.”

She added that the journey so far has been quite difficult, especially seeing Maddy suffer and in pain, “The hospital stays are also not nice and it does take a toll not only on me, but on my husband and two boys as well. There has been a lot of isolation and restricted visits during Maddy’s treatment and relapse, and, before the transplant is done, I will have to stay in the hospital, isolated, to ensure Maddy stays healthy.”

There might be parts of this journey that Maddy will not remember, and some of it will forever be etched in her memory.

“I am excited to see what she will do with this story, as I believe there must be some positives to be taken from it. I am hoping that she will use her story as a testimony to inspire others,” she said.

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The support received from far and wide has been overwhelming, and Allessandra is grateful to every person who attended and registered as a possible donor during the drives held for Maddy.

“Even though Maddy found a match we would like to continue working with DKMS and raise awareness, as I believe people are misinformed about stem cell donations, and we would like to help change that perspective.”

She concluded by saying, “We do not know who Maddy’s donor is, but we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to this person, for taking the time to register and giving our daughter a second chance on life.”

• For more information on stem cell donor registration, visit the DKMS Africa website.

• Follow Maddy’s journey on Facebook