Suitable bone marrow donor found for Cumbrian teenager

A bone marrow donor has been found for a Cumbrian teenager whose family launched a nationwide appeal to find a suitable match.

Alice Pyne, 14, from Ulverston, has Hodgkin's Lymphoma and needs a transplant.

Three thousand people registered with the Anthony Nolan Trust after her mother Vicky launched the appeal.

It is hoped she will have the operation in the next few weeks after intensive chemotherapy.

She is being treated at the Alder Hay Children's Hospital in Liverpool and it is hoped she will have the transplant in a few weeks time.

After the operation, her immune system will have to re-build itself. The entire process from transplant to recovery is expected to take a few months.

Karen Bonnell from the Anthony Nolan Trust said: "It's just thrilling but it's still early days.

"You can't begin to imagine the emotions that Alice's family and friends have been going through. They're still not out of the woods yet though.

"They have to undergo this transplant. It's an emotional rollercoster."

Mrs Pyne, Alice's mother said: "We've started calling her 'Amazing Alice'. She is so positive and spends half of her time thinking of others.

"In hospital, her focus is on comforting and helping the younger ones rather than what she's going through."

Anyone aged between 18 and 40 and in good general health was eligible to register to become a potential bone marrow donor for Alice.

After filling in a medical questionnaire, they were asked for a sample of saliva. If they were not a match for the teenager, they were added to the register in the hope they might be a suitable donor for others.