A bone marrow donation for Mateoh Eggleton’s life-saving surgery arrives in Australia

A boy’s life-saving bone marrow transplant has finally arrived in Australia after the critical delivery missed an earlier flight after being abandoned on a US tarmac.

Mateoh Eggleton, 6, will now have surgery next month in Brisbane after struggling for three years since he was first diagnosed with chronic granulomatosis in 2019.

Much-needed cells from a donor in the US were left behind at a US airport en route to Brisbane this week, causing disbelief among family members.

The late arrival of the bone marrow was tested and found to be viable to ensure the boy would be cleared for a transplant next month.

It comes after his mother, Shalyn Eggleton, fought hard to get the vital medical tissue after the apparent botch at the airport.

Mateoh Eggleton (pictured), 6, will now have surgery next month in Brisbane after struggling for three years since being diagnosed with chronic granulomatosis in 2019

“He’s been fighting for three and a half years… and for someone being so careless and just plain naive when it comes to something like this,” Ms Eggleton (pictured with her son) said earlier this week

Earlier this week, she called out those responsible for being “negligent and naïve” in transporting the urgent item.

“How could something [with] such a large medical log and procedure being left behind at an airport when it should be under 24/7 technical surveillance,” Ms Eggleton told Nine News.

“He fought for three and a half years … and for someone to be so careless and just plain naive when it comes to something like this,” Ms Eggleton said.

The late arrival of the bone marrow was tested and found to be viable to ensure the boy would be cleared for a transplant next month

“Well, that’s what he was waiting for and someone just left it behind.”

She said she was not given an explanation as to why it was left behind, as Mateoh’s oncologist revealed the stem cells had not been loaded onto the plane.

“They then had to be sent back to the harvest center to get more dry ice,” Ms Eggleton told ABC.

A spokesman for Queensland Children’s Hospital told the Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that the late arrival of the cells would not “adversely affect” the boy’s care.

“Mateoh was a long-term patient at Queensland Children’s Hospital and his care team understands and shares the family’s disappointment at this unforeseen delay in the delivery of his donor cells,” they said.

“Our priority at all times has been to ensure that the donation remains viable so that Mateoh’s bone marrow transplant can safely proceed.”

The six-year-old had undergone six weeks of treatment to prepare for the transplant, which was then delayed due to late arrival.

But on Friday Ms Eggleton posted on social media that he will start preparing for the transplant after tests showed the stem cells were good to use.

The mother said this transplant is Mateoh’s last chance after previously undergoing grueling chemotherapy and blood transfusions to keep him alive.

“Mateoh knows how sick he is and he knows this is his last chance… and he’s very knowledgeable as he sees everything day in and day out,” Ms Eggleton said.

She said Mateoh has undergone nine different treatments over the past 18 months.

The boy successfully underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2020, but was then diagnosed with haemolytic anemia – in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be replaced.

The devastating result meant the family had to find another donor.

The family then found an earlier match in the UK, but the donors chose to decline the transplant – and Mateoh and his mother ran out of options.

“Mateoh knows how sick he is and he knows this is his last chance… and he’s very knowledgeable as he sees everything day in and day out,” said Ms Eggleton (pictured with her son).

The mother said they were forced to look abroad for donors after being unable to find one in Australia.

“This is the third donor we have found now and they were harvested around February 7th.”

She said she spoke to him Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) CEO of the shocking delay and has been informed ‘it is examined’.

The organization is responsible for arranging and transporting bone marrow and blood stem cell donations for patients in need of a transplant in Australia.

The little boy will begin preparatory treatment on March 3, with the transplant scheduled to take place 10 days later, Ms Eggleton said on social media.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk