The Christie saved my life... and now I'm a mum to a 'little miracle'

A young mum who almost died of cancer has become one of the first people in the UK to give birth following an innovative treatment. Sammy Gray, 26, paid tribute to the life-saving work of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester as she celebrated 'little miracle' Walter.

Sammy feared chemotherapy had left her infertile, but went on to welcome her son into the world after CAR-T cell therapy 'trained' her body to fight back against the disease. She first experienced chest pains and night sweats in 2018 shortly after the birth of her first child, a daughter called Harper.

Worried that it may be a blood clot, doctors actually discovered a mass on her chest which was diagnosed as non Hodgkin's lymphoma, an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. Sammy underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which initially cut the size of the tumour, but then the cancer became more aggressive and progressed.

By June 2019, she was out of treatment options but medics at the Christie decided to try CAR-T cell therapy, which was only approved on the NHS in 2018. CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) is a type of immunotherapy which involves reprogramming the patient's own immune system cells.

These cells then work to target the cancer. The treatment carries risks but has managed to cure some patients, even those with quite advanced cancers and where other treatment options have failed. Sammy, from Blackpool, gave a blood sample that was sent to the US where her T-cells were genetically modified.

These were then put back into her body via a drip in the September, with the hope they would boost her immune system’s natural response to cancer. The gruelling treatment made her feel very ill but, after a month, she was