Overview
- Lyra Cassell, now 20, was diagnosed with precursor T‑cell lymphoblastic leukaemia on September 29, 2021, after initial GP visits failed to identify the cancer.
- Chemotherapy began immediately but measurable residual disease testing showed the treatment had not eliminated the cancer, prompting plans for a transplant.
- Specialists at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital prepared her with total body irradiation before a cord‑blood transplant on April 7, 2022.
- The unit was a roughly 20ml vial of umbilical‑cord blood collected from a baby born in Spain about 12 years earlier and kept frozen in a bank.
- She was declared cancer‑free on May 25, 2022, has continued recovering from significant treatment effects, and now advocates donation while pursuing a career in occupational or physiotherapy.