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.”
Drivers warned of ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ on the roads that could seem them hit with hefty fines as winter rolls around.
Once the temperatures drop, and the days get shorter and darker, fog tends to become a more common weather occurrence around this time of year – but an eye-opening new survey has found that most drivers don’t really how to use their fog lights correctly.
According to guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), fog lights should only be used on British roads when visibility drops below 100 metres, yet the new research by eBay has found that 60% of drivers use their fog lights at the wrong times, and what’s more is that one in 10 say they switch on their fog lights when visibility is less than 300 metres.
48% of drivers who took part in the research admitted that they activate full-beam headlights when it’s dark, regardless of oncoming traffic and other road users.
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter / Credit: Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)
The RAC says these stats reveal a ‘worrying trend’ among motorists, and have warned that these habits could actually means drivers are risking fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points on their licence.
If the incorrect usage of fog lights wasn’t bad enough as it is, the new research also found that many Brits say they do not stay on-top of regular car maintenance when it comes to car fog lights, either – with just 15% saying they check them every month, and shockingly, 24% stating they’ve never checked them before.
Due to the ongoing issue of headlight glare, in whatever form that may be, The RAC has found that as many as one in four drivers (25%) who find headlights ‘too bright’ are actually driving less as a result.
“Unfortunately for a lot of drivers, the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort,” explained Rod Dennis, who is the Senior Policy Officer at the RAC.
“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead, so there’s a balance to be struck.”
Featured Image – Robin the Bird (via Unsplash)
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Police investigation underway following ‘shocking’ arson at Marple Cenotaph on Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
A public appeal for information has been issued after a fire was started near a war memorial in Stockport on Bonfire Night.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is currently investigating after officers were called out around 9:50pm on Bonfire Night (Wednesday 5 November) following reports of a group of males near to the Cenotaph in Marple.
When police arrived at the scene, they found that a fire had been started in a bin and wooden pallets had been set alight – with the ground nearby having been damaged.
Neighbourhood officers in Marple are now investigating and are appealing for information in relation to this incident.
The incident has been described as a reckless act that could have ended with more damage and even serious injury.
“The Cenotaph means a lot to the community and incidents like this are deeply upsetting, particularly at a time when we should be honouring the memory of our war veterans,” explained Sergeant Rachel Walton, of GMP’s Stockport East Neighbourhood Policing Team.
“We are working closely with partners at Stockport Council and the fire service to ensure the area is cleaned and restored.
“We want to identify the individuals responsible, and we will have extra high-visibility patrols in the park each evening leading up to the Remembrance Day service on Sunday (9 November).”
This incident is just one of a total of 350 calls related to fire or fireworks that GMP responded to on Bonfire Night, which is said to be an increase from 203 last year.
A total of 27 arrests were made across Greater Manchester, with four weapons and hundreds of fireworks seized.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd May 2022 
