Last month, we published a blog post announcing the amazing news that Gunner, nephew to Denise Brinton from Staysafe PPE, received the life saving bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with MPS Type 1. We are delighted to announce that the transplant went well, being a 99% match, and Gunner celebrated his landmark 2nd Birthday at home with his family.
In March 2021 Gunner, nephew to Denise Brinton- Staysafe PPE Founder and member of Made in the Midlands, was diagnosed with MPS Type 1, a life-limiting disease that can be slowed by weekly blood transfusions and a bone marrow transplant.
11th October 2021 was marked as a very special day for young Gunner, who got to spend his 2nd birthday at home with his family - his first birthday out of hospital. Gunner’s 2nd birthday was a landmark date, as he hadn't received a transplant by then, the damage would have been irreversible and it would have started to affect his brain.
The fact that the Bone Marrow Transplant was a 99% match means that through stem cell surgery and bone marrow transplant, Gunner now has reproduced the donor’s blood and has the enzymes he needs to process sugar. This was missing in his own blood previously, which meant that his internal organs were growing too fast and were too big for his body. He will now be able to process sugar and won’t need the weekly 5 hour enzyme transfusions he was having before.
Gunner’s Mother Holly recently said to BBC news that having Gunner home for his birthday was a “dream come true.”