‘Cord blood is just thrown away - but it could save someone’s life – A Fathers story’
Mark Behan is a Police Inspector; he has two daughters, Caitlin and Martha. In the summer of 2003, Mark noticed strange bruises on Caitlin.
‘My wife took her to the GP, and the GP referred her to the hospital for a blood test. This was Friday and we were going on holiday on Sunday – but they called and said, don’t go, come to the hospital on Monday, there’s a problem.’
Caitlin was diagnosed with Fanconi’s anaemia and the only treatment was a stem cell transplant.
‘We were told it would be difficult to find a match because of Caitlin’s genetic make-up, but Anthony Nolan began a series of clinics, and it was amazing. We had 300 to the first, 500 to the second. We were even turning a person away - which was actually quite worrying, because you always think, that one person who we had to turn away could be the one who could save her life. All the while, she was getting more poorly.
Then her doctor went to a conference in France, and realised the feasibility of using cord blood and its potential.You still need to find a match, but cord blood has an advantage because the blood doesn’t have all the characteristics of the mother, and so there’s greater tolerance.
And about the same time, Anthony Nolan’s international search located a potential cord blood donor in Spain. The match wasn’t perfect, but no adult bone marrow donors had emerged, Caitlin was deteriorating - and because the doctor knew more about it, she was prepared to go with the cord. From what I know, cord blood transplants are more frequent in Spain, so it’s almost common practice.’
This was back in March 2004. The transplant was over in a couple of minutes, it really took me back - it’s not at all like a heart transplant. Anthony Nolan brought the cord blood over from Spain; it was defrosted, put into a syringe and injected into Caitlin’s bloodstream.
When we first heard the diagnosis, we sat in Birmingham having a cup of tea and it felt as though the world was just walking by, and you wonder - why aren’t they doing anything? And then you realise that if you give people an opportunity to do something, they will. Even people I’d looked after in custody turned up to give blood.
The thing about cord blood is that it’s just thrown away - but it could save someone’s life.
She’s amazing now. It’s been three years and she’s in the brownies, she plays football, she goes riding and swimming. She’s the only girl of her age who wants to grow up and be a haematologist. We feel so lucky to have had every moment of these three years.’
