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Girl, 5, out of long isolation after transplant

Nathan TurveyBingley
Nathan Turvey/BBC A picture of Freya (left) in a swing and her mum Amy (right) in their local park. Freya is smiling and wearing a coat and jeans. Amy has ginger hair and glasses and is also smiling a wearing a coat and jeans. There is grass and playground equipment in the background.Nathan Turvey/BBC
Freya's mother Amy said she was "blown away" by how well Freya had become since the transplant

A five-year-old girl has finally come out of six months of strict isolation after having a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Freya Dixon was diagnosed with Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA) when she was a baby, a condition where bone marrow fails to produce enough red blood cells.

The transplant, which she had in September, was a success - but Freya, from Bingley in West Yorkshire, has since developed a rare and serious complication called transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).

Freya's mother Amy described the past six months as a "rollercoaster" and said the family were nearly at "absolute breaking point".

Amy Dixon A picture of Freya in a hospital setting, smiling with a sick bowl decorated with an easter egg, that she's wearing as a hat. She has a tube in her nose and is wearing a pink jumper.Amy Dixon
Freya's bone marrow transplant was a success - but she had to be in strict isolation for 25 weeks afterwards

Amy said: "She was sick of staying inside with me all the time, I was sick of staying in all the time, she needed to talk to other people and be around kids her own age - and I needed to talk to other people."

Before the transplant Freya had already endured more than 70 blood transfusions, each taking between five and 12 hours, and had to miss her first year of school.

A 20-year-old man from Germany donated his bone marrow, which means Freya may never need another transfusion.

Amy described the transplant as a "roaring success" - and added that she felt it was "100% the right thing to do".

"For the first time ever she's making red blood cells," she added.

Freya has now been able to start school part-time and said she loves playing with her friends.

Amy Dixon A picture of Amy (left) wearing glasses and smiling and Freya (right) also smiling, wearing her school uniform and a bandana with a tube in her nose.Amy Dixon
Freya has now been able to finally start school

However, despite the success of the surgery, it has left Freya with further complications.

During her isolation Freya caught a virus which then led to transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).

Amy said they were told about a drug called Eculizumab that might be able stabilise the TMA - but it was not routinely available on the NHS.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has approved the medication for three weeks and said the family would then need to reapply for it if Freya responded well.

"I'm very happy with the news - but anxious, because more drugs means more chances of reactions and side effects, but I'm very thankful they've agreed to give it to her."

Amy said they were trying to balance that treatment with "ploughing through life" now the transplant had been successful and were looking forward to Freya going to school full-time after the Easter holidays.

"Between the ages of four and five she's done nothing but hospitals, it's time she starting living life," Amy added.

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