Please, help me SAVE HER!

Steph Davidson's eldest daughter was saved by a bone-marrow donor. But now her youngest daughter needs help, too

- RACHEL TOMPKINS

People say that you should trust your mother’s instinct, and in my case that couldn’t be more true. My daughter Adeline was just seven weeks old when she had surgery to correct a bowel blockage, but as the months passed she struggled to gain weight and by the time she was 18 months, she was tiny compared with other children her age. My husband Jordan and I were so worried and eventually she was referred to a paediatrician who did blood tests to check her iron levels. Despite his reassurance that everything was OK, my instinct told me otherwise. And I was right. Adeline’s blood counts were extremely low and she needed to return for more tests. When the doctor told me to prepare not to go home for a while, I couldn’t take in the enormity of the situation. I was six months pregnant with twins at the time, and Adeline was so excited to be a big sister. The thought of her being seriously ill was just unfathomable.

We were sent to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where a bone-marrow biopsy was performed and Adeline underwent more intensive tests. She was too young to understand what was happening, which, in a way, made things more difficult. She got upset at first when she had to sit still, hooked up to machines, and all I could do was cuddle and reassure her that everything was going to be OK.

Not long after being admitted we were told that Adeline had a rare condition called myelodysplasia (MDS). Her bone marrow wasn’t working properly and was producing faulty blood cells. She had to have a blood transfusion and platelet transfusion as well as a Hickman line fitted.