Sheffield mum’s plea for stem cell donors after nine-year-old Heidi’s cancer relapse
Just months after ringing the end-of-treatment bell, Heidi now faces relapse and a desperate wait for a donor.
A Sheffield mum is urging people to sign up to the stem cell and bone marrow register after her daughter’s leukaemia has returned – just months after ringing the end-of-treatment bell.
Lucy Howson, a midwife from Handsworth, says her daughter Heidi Howson, who turned nine last week, now faces the prospect of needing a bone marrow or cord blood transplant after relapsing with cancer.
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Heidi’s journey
Heidi was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia just before her sixth birthday in August 2022, when Lucy spotted purple spots on her back during a family day out at Gulliver’s Valley.
Within days she began intensive chemotherapy at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and went on to endure 27 months of treatment, including immunotherapy.
In November 2024, she celebrated finishing treatment surrounded by family and friends.
But heartbreakingly, this summer Lucy noticed familiar signs that something was wrong. Blood tests confirmed the worst – Heidi’s cancer had returned.
“She just wants to go back to school, see her friends and start Year 5 like every other nine-year-old,” Lucy said.
“It’s devastating that she has to go through this all over again – but we know she can get better. She’s courageous – she will be fine, we know she will.”
“She’s my best friend”
Despite everything she has faced, Heidi is described by her mum as “the best person in the world – just so much fun.”
A true social butterfly, Lucy said she is a party girl and complete socialite, who loves her friends but is also kind and creative.
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“She’s raised money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, done litter picking, bracelet making, and won two awards for bravery and courage for fundraising while she was poorly,” Lucy said.
“Everybody knows her, everybody loves her. She’s always the one to help other people. She might be fairly quiet and shy sometimes, but she’s also the life and soul,
“She’s just my little best friend really.”
Lucy also said that Heidi loves makeup and skincare, even though she’s “not meant to” and has her own three step skincare routine.
Lucy said: “I’ve spent my life cheerleading other families through birth as a midwife – now I’m just going to be her cheerleader. As long as she can see positivity, she’ll be alright.”
Mum’s call to action
Neither Lucy nor Heidi’s dad Ryan are a match for their daughter, so Heidi’s chances of finding a suitable donor rest on strangers signing up.
Lucy explained: “It’s such a simple process – you order a kit, swab your cheek and send it back. That’s it, yet it could save a life.
“There are also donor drives being set up locally to make it even easier.”
Already, her plea has sparked an extraordinary response.
More than 600 people have signed up to the DKMS register in just one weekend after hearing Heidi’s story, and posts about her appeal have been shared over a thousand times online.
Lucy says the support so far has made a huge difference: “It’s just amazing – already people are rallying round to help.
“It makes it so much lighter, a bit less scary, when you know you can lean on others.”
But Lucy is also calling for greater awareness of cord blood donation, something she sees wasted daily in her role as a midwife.
“As a midwife it’s hard, because I have to throw those placentas away,” she said. “Every year, we throw away hundreds that could help save lives.
“But currently only five hospitals in the UK collect donated cord blood. If more hospitals joined the scheme, more children like Heidi could have a second chance.
She also said she hopes to encourage is just giving blood and platelets in general which she said are equally crucial in saving the life of a cancer patient.
After organising blood drives, and donating in the past - Lucy is hoping that this time it is her turn to rely on the help of the community.
For more information on how to join the stem cell register, visit https://tinyurl.com/24yrptyx.