Youngster with Rare Blood Disorder Expresses Joy After Transplants

A 12-year-old boy, who previously underwent two life-saving stem cell transplants due to a rare blood disorder, has stated that he now feels capable of experiencing a “normal life”. Two years prior, Finley Hill, a resident of Belbroughton, Worcestershire, spent the Christmas period hospitalized, with his company limited to medical personnel and immediate family for several weeks. At that time, he was receiving his second stem cell transplant, having been diagnosed with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in 2019. In an interview with BBC Radio WM this week, he attributed his survival to the dedicated staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. “There isn’t enough words to describe how much we want to say thank you,” the young patient expressed. He further added, “There isn’t any words in the vocabulary in the whole of earth that we could [find to] say thank you.” According to his father, all personnel at the children’s hospital possessed a “very special way” of interacting with patients. His mother, Jo, corroborated this, stating, “They’re all heroes too, honestly.” She elaborated, “Every time we go back for an appointment or a check-up or bloods [tests]… it’s never not nice to go back – they’re so wonderful there.” “It’s like a hug, going back,” she concluded. Finley, also known as Finn, has commenced secondary school and harbors ambitions of becoming a performer. “I really like acting, and one day I would like to be an actor,” he shared. He is scheduled to appear on stage in January as part of Birmingham Youth Theatre’s presentation of Snow White at the Crescent Theatre. This represents a significant improvement from a period when his life was precarious, prior to the identification of a matching stem cell donor in Brazil in 2019. That initial transplant subsequently required replacement two years later, utilizing a different donor, who was also located in Brazil. Subsequently, Finn has served as the public face of an initiative encouraging individuals to register as stem cell donors. Additionally, he has been involved in fundraising and awareness efforts for DKMS, an international charitable organization focused on combating blood cancer and blood disorders. Both he and his mother have documented Finn’s treatment progression on Facebook and Instagram. “Only 2% of people in the UK are on the register. We really need to do more to change those numbers,” Ms Hill stated. The current week commemorates the two-year anniversary of Finn’s second transplant. “It’s a great thing to celebrate… it’s in the past,” he remarked. He offered the following advice to other young individuals undergoing comparable treatment: “Eventually you’re going to get through it.” He continued, “Whoever you are, I believe in you and you’re going to get through it and on the other side you’re going to have an amazing life.”