Kenton gran with leukemia gets stem cell transplant from daughter

A Kenton gran who called on the Jewish community to help find an urgent stem cell donor had a transplant this week – from her daughter.

Sipy Howard, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on her birthday in December, is hoping the stem cell transplant from her daughter Jolene will work, after no match was found from the family’s donor registration drive.

In a short statement on Facebook on Tuesday, the family said: “Big day today! Sipy is getting her stem cell transplant… We are hopeful that this procedure will work. Thank you for everyone’s well wishes. We are all very grateful.”

Acute Myeloid Leukemia is an aggressive blood cancer, the same suffered by fellow Kenton gran Sharon Berger, whose family created the phenomenally successful Spit4Mum campaign back in 2012-13.

A member of Neve Shalom Synagogue on Preston Road, Sipy was a beauty therapist and hairdresser before becoming a housewife when her children Sammy, Emma and Jolene were born.

She now has two granddaughters – Sofia, who is four years old, and two-year old Sienna.

The family had called on members of the Jewish community, especially those of Sephardi origin, to register as donors if they were yet to do so, saying: “All we need is a swab from your mouth… Her best chance is to find a match is from her ethnic background.”