Paramedic mum makes urgent plea for stem cell donors after baby 'Roo' has leukaemia missed twice by doctors

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026.

Mary, a paramedic from Norfolk, is appealing for young people to join the stem cell register after her 10-month-old son Reuben was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia — a cancer initially dismissed as teething and then tonsillitis by his GP. Reuben, nicknamed Roo, has been at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge ever since his blood tests revealed the truth, with his family separated and his two sisters staying with grandparents. The family is working with charity Anthony Nolan to find a match before the cancer returns after chemotherapy.

Sisters Lyra, eight, and Cleo, four, are being tested to see if either is a stem cell match for Reuben.

Mary said: 'Our world fell apart overnight — we thought it was so rare, it blindsided us completely.'

A stem cell transplant is essential to stop the leukaemia returning once chemotherapy ends.