Girl in urgent need of bone marrow is saved by the sister born to help her live
By Alison Smith Squire and Nick McDermott
Last updated at 11:58 AM on 20th October 2008
Playing in the autumn leaves, Saskia Graham and her little sister Imogen look like any other happy, healthy youngsters.
But only 18 months ago Saskia was desperately ill with a debilitating blood disorder, in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant to save her life.
Fortunately, there was a ready-made donor – Imogen had been conceived as a ‘saviour sibling’ through the controversial process in which children are created so their tissue can be used to help a sick brother or sister.
For the girls’ parents, however, the decision to use Imogen’s bone marrow was still an agonising one. She was only 19 months old and would struggle to survive such an invasive procedure.
To their delight, the transplant worked – curing the blood disorder and creating what will be a lifelong bond between seven-year-old Saskia and Imogen, now three.
Their mother Natalie Barb, 38, said: ‘The decision to operate was the most heart-wrenching one we have ever had to make.
‘On the one hand, Saskia was growing sicker by the day and desperately needed a bone marrow transplant.
‘On the other, the thought of tiny Imogen undergoing surgery was incredibly frightening.’
When Saskia was 11 weeks old she was diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anaemia, which is usually fatal before the age of 30. To lead a normal life, she would need a bone marrow transplant from a suitable donor before she turned six, when her condition would worsen.
Doctors told her mother and her father Stuart Graham, a 36-year-old banker, that their best chance was to find a match from a family member.
However, neither the couple, from West London, nor their second child, five-year-old Alice, were suitable.
So they made the controversial decision to create a saviour sibling – a baby genetically selected to be a perfect donor for a sick brother or sister.
Imogen was conceived by IVF using Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis, a screening procedure which ensured she was an ideal match for Saskia.
‘We were delighted when Imogen was born. Not only was she a beautiful little sister but she would be a suitable donor for Saskia,’ said her mother, a TV producer. ‘Her birth gave us the ray of hope we had longed for.’ Even then, the decision to use her bone marrow was hard. ‘Our fear was that something would go wrong and we would lose not only Saskia but Imogen as well.’
Doctors waited until Imogen was 19 months old and the surgery proved a success.
There has been huge controversy over saviour siblings. But Saskia’s mother said: ‘We will never regret ensuring that Imogen was a suitable donor. It is just an incredible bonus for us that medical science allowed us to ensure we could also save Saskia’s life.’
Saskia is one of many children aged two to 18 treated by the specialist bone marrow transplant centre at St Mary’s Hospital in London, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which this week celebrates its 18th anniversary.
