THERE were celebrations for brave Belbroughton schoolboy Finley Hill and his family this week as the youngster ‘rang the bell’ after undergoing a second vital stem cell transplant.
Hagley Primary School pupil Finley, aged 10, who suffers from rare immune disorder familial HLH (familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) which leads to damaged and enlarged organs, has spent five weeks in Birmingham Children's Hospital.
His family have posted regular updates on social media about his treatment, which saw them spend Christmas in hospital.
And on Tuesday (January 10) they shared a video showing Finley ringing that all-important bell to signify the completion of his hospital treatment.
In an emotional Facebook post, parents Jo and Paul Hill said: “He’s only gone and done it!
“We couldn’t be more proud of this boy.”
Finley underwent an initial stem cell transplant in 2019 after an international search for a lifesaving donor proved successful.
After 40 days of treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the family celebrated success and Finley eventually went on to meet his donor on ITV’s This Morning last summer.
Through the Anthony Nolan charity, Finley’s family made contact via WhatsApp with his donor, Jose Nata Da Silva, from Brazil, who flew over to Britain to meet the family on TV in July 2022.
The meeting was a “pinch-me moment” – mum Jo said.
Unfortunately, just months later it became clear that Finn would need a second transplant.
Luckily, a second suitable stem cell donor was found – a 43-year-old man from Portugal – and the operation was carried out on December 12.
This was followed by a further 29 days in hospital during which time Finn tested positive for flu, but the courageous youngster battled through the gruelling treatment schedule and is now back on the road to recovery.
His family are under no illusions there may still be tough times ahead – at least until the 100-day post op milestone.
As they left hospital they thanked the “amazing nurses, doctors and all the staff at BCH” and added a special outpouring of gratitude to Finn’s lifesaving donors.
They said: “We can never thank you both enough for the selfless acts that led to you both saving our boy, we are all family.
“To all of you that have walked beside us through the good times and the bad, thanks so much for all of your support, you have no idea how much it means.”
Jo told the News the new donor was found to be a 10 out of 10 match for Finn.
She said, however, without the first donation of stem cells from their Brazilian hero donor Jose (who was a 9 out of 10 match) – the youngster may not have been here now and she urged as many people as possible to help save lives by signing up to become a possible stem cell donor via the Anthony Nolan charity or DKMS UK.
Jo added: “Only two per cent of people in the UK are on the register. We really need to do more to change those numbers.”
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