A young mum who received lifesaving cancer treatment in Manchester has welcomed a “miracle” baby after fearing she may be infertile.
26-year-old Sammy Gray nearly died from cancer three years ago not long after welcoming her first child, but after receiving pioneering CAR-T therapy to save her life at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, she has welcomed her second child and is believed to be one of the first patients in the UK to give birth following the innovative treatment that “cleared her body of cancer”.
Sammy said that if it wasn’t for the treatment and expert care she received at The Christie, “neither of us would be here now.”
Back in January 2018, shortly after Sammy had her first daughter Harper, she began to experience chest pains and night sweats that doctors initially thought could have been due to a blood clot related to the birth, but they later discovered a mass on her chest, which lead to a devastating diagnosis of non Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
Sammy, then just 21, sadly “missed out on motherhood” as she underwent a range of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, which were initially shrinking the tumour.
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But the cancer unfortunately became more aggressive and progressed.
By June 2019, when faced with a very poor prognosis, Sammy’s only remaining option was CAR-T therapy – a new treatment only approved by the NHS in 2018 that involves reprogramming the patient’s own immune cells, called T cells, which are then used to recognise and destroy their cancer.
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Sammy Gray received pioneering CAR-T therapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust / Credit: The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Sammy underwent the gruelling therapy back in September 2019 – which involved her having to spend weeks in hospital while her body’s own immune system attacked the cancer, and unfortunately made her very ill in the process.
“I wasn’t petrified of dying, but I was petrified of leaving Harper behind,” Sammy explained.
“It has been an incredibly tough few years and I missed out on so much of my first taste of motherhood when Harper was a baby as the chemotherapy made me very ill, so I couldn’t look after my baby daughter, and Daley, my fiancé, had to be a full-time dad.”
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Thankfully though, the treatment was successful, and her scans at three, six, and 12 months were all clear and showed no signs of cancer.
Although, Sammy then faced a different challenge.
Doctors warned that the chemotherapy could have resulted in early menopause, meaning she may not be able to have more children, and after not having periods for a year, she did fear she’d become infertile – but as Sammy and her partner desperately wanted a second child to complete their family, she was approved by the NHS for IVF fertility treatment.
The couple had just started the process when they conceived naturally, and two and half years after she endured the CAR-T treatment, the couple welcomed their baby son, Walter, back in February.
Sammy and her partner Daley welcomed their “miracle” baby son, Walter, back in February / Credit: Kelly Couttie Photography
“I’m determined to make the most of every minute with Walter,” Sammy continued.
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“The sleepless nights don’t bother me at all, and I appreciate all the little things. I’m enjoying the time with him that cancer stole with Harper. Walter is our little miracle.
“If it wasn’t for the CAR-T treatment at The Christie, neither of us would be here now.”
Speaking on Sammy’s incredible recovery, Professor Adrian Bloor – Consultant Haematologist at The Christie – added: “Sammy’s cancer was very difficult to treat and there were very few treatment options.
“CAR-T therapy is a relatively new treatment for some aggressive blood cancers, where the patient’s immune cells are ‘trained’ to fight the cancer, [and] Sammy was one of our first CAR-T patients, and at that time the youngest.
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“The treatment saved her life and it’s fantastic that she remains in remission and has had a baby.
“We all wish her and her family all the best for the future.”
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
“It is dangerous for fatigued workers to be driving trams and they should not be put in this situation.
“We are demanding that Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester work with Unite to find a solution to this problem to avoid industrial action.”
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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A local Manc content creator is looking to set a world record by running around Old Trafford
Danny Jones
A local content creator, who specialises in running/hiking content (and sandwiches), is looking to raise money and potentially set a world record by jogging around Old Trafford.
Oh, and by jogging, we mean running – for a really, REALLY long time…
If you’ve never come across his channel before, let us introduce you to local influencer and videographer Sam Matthew, a.k.a. ‘Peaks and Pubs‘.
Boasting plenty of fans on both Instagram and TikTok within the world of trail running, the outdoors community and beyond, he’s set to toastreaching a very specific achievement by “turning a milestone into a mission” and doing laps around Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.
As explained in the video, he’s now surpassed 74,310 followers, i.e. the same capacity of supporters you can fit inside the Theatre of Dreams itself.
We know, it’s distance running and feats of endurance aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they are a great way of raising money and awareness, not to mention possibly getting yourself in the official Guinness Book of World Records.
Explaining the challenge in the caption of the video, Sam writes: “There’s now enough of you lot following this daft account of mine on here to fill a stadium I’ve adored since I was a little boy. And that genuinely means so much to me.
“So why not celebrate the occasion by punishing my legs and raising money for good causes along the way? Donations are, of course, the aim, but I understand that not everybody is in the position to do that, so any engagement on this post is hugely appreciated.
“I mean it from the bottom of my heart that you lot genuinely make this all happen for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to do silly stuff like this on a random Wednesday [29 October]. Giving off pure ‘your unemployed friend on a Wednesday’ vibes, but I love it!”
Raising money for the club’s in-house Manchester United Foundation, which has already shown its support for the upcoming ultra-marathon distance event, they are also looking to generate crucial funds with the return of another annual charity event too.
The Foundation does some incredible work all year-round, if you’d rather swap running around Old Trafford for sleeping.
Once again, Sam will be kicking off the serious step-count from approximately 9am this Wednesday (28 Oct), he’s estimating it’ll take him around a whopping nine and a half hours, “with plenty of breaks for food and fluids”, thank god.
As the man behind most of the Bada Bing videos, we expect plenty of butties to fuel the running.
Furthermore, although he’s set to take on the distance solo for the morning, he’s invited as many people who fancy getting involved to come and join him for a lap or two from 12 noon onwards; hopefully, he’ll see the Guinness people popping along to see if he registers a world record while he’s at it, too.
We hope there are a few pints at the pub waiting for you at the end, as always, Sam.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd May 2022 
