Courageous Chester schoolgirl Erin Cross has been given the go ahead to undergo a lifesaving bone marrow transplant three days after Christmas.
After a rollercoaster six months which saw the public rally together to raise the £150,000 needed for the six-year-old to receive specialist treatment in the USA, Erin was finally given the all clear from the lymphoblastic leukaemia she has suffered from since the age of two, back in September.
But she has still been undergoing treatment at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to prepare her for the bone marrow transplant that will ultimately save her life, and doctors have been monitoring her to check that the Car T cell treatment she had in Seattle, is still working.
The Cross family will spend their Christmas preparing Erin for the transplant which will take place at Manchester Children’s Hospital on December 28.
Her mum Sarah told The Chronicle that she and husband Ant have spent a ‘nerve wracking’ two weeks waiting for the latest set of results but the good news is that the treatment is still working, and Erin is still clear of disease.
“On Monday we found out that Erin still has Car T Cells in her blood so the treatment is still very active. This is really good news and the doctors in Seattle are very pleased with how well Erin has responded to treatment.
“We have a bit of time at home now before we head to Manchester Children’s Hospital on December 20. Erin will start pre conditioning treatment on that date and her bone marrow transplant is scheduled for the 28th.
“We now just want to get the next part of Erin’s treatment started, which we hope is going to be the final part of the journey to achieving a full cure for Erin,” added Sarah.
She also touched on the plight of Merseyside teenager Katie Wright, who like Erin, desperately needs the public’s help to raise £120,000 for leukaemia treatment in America.
Sarah said: “At the moment we are also thinking about Katie’s family from Alder Hey who are in the same situation we were in and need a lot of support from the local community. Katie is just starting her relapse treatment at Alder Hey and the family really need support right now. “
There is more on Katie’s story here www.gofundme.com/save-katie-help-raise-120k
