Sammy Gray, a woman who nearly died from cancer three years ago, is believed to be one of the first CAR-T therapy patients in the United Kingdom to give birth following the innovative treatment that cleared her body of the severe disease.
Shortly after Gray had her first child, a daughter called Harper, back in 2018, she began to experience night sweats and chest pains. Initially thinking it was a blood clot-related to the birth of Harper, doctors then discovered a mass on Gray's chest, which was diagnosed as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
According to Mayo Clinic, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the lymphatic system, part of the body's germ-fighting immune system. White blood cells called lymphocytes grow abnormally and can form growths (tumors) throughout the body of a person with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
CAR-T therapy saved Gray's life
Gray, who was then 21 years old, missed out on motherhood as she underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which initially shrunk the tumor in her body. The cancer, however, became more aggressive and progressed, leaving Gray's life hanging in the balance.
Faced with a very poor prognosis, the only option remaining for Gray by June 2019 was CAR-T therapy. This new treatment, which was only approved by the National Health Service (NHS) back in 2018, involves reprogramming the patient's own immune cells, called T cells, to recognize and destroy the cancer in their body.
The revolutionary treatment involves taking a sample of the patient's blood, then sent to a laboratory in the United States, where the T cells are genetically modified to intensify the immune system's natural response to cancer. This sample is then put back into the patient through an intravenous infusion.
Gray underwent the grueling CAR-T therapy in September 2019 at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. The treatment involved the Blackpool native spending weeks in the hospital while her immune system attacked the aggressive cancer.
Gray gives birth to a miracle baby after conceiving naturally
Despite the procedure making Gray very weak, she eventually recovered and was well enough to go home after a month of treatment. Fortunately for Gray, the treatment worked perfectly, with her scans at three, six, and 12 months all being clear, showing no signs of cancer.
Doctors issued a warning to Gray, though, telling her that the chemotherapy could result in early menopause for her, meaning she may not be able to have more kids. Gray feared she had become infertile after not having periods for a year. Gray and her partner, Daley, desperately wanted a second child to complete their family.
BBC reported that she was given approval by the NHS for IVF fertility treatment. Sammy and Daley had just started the process when they conceived naturally. Two and a half years after she endured the tough CAR-T treatment to cure her cancer, Gray's miracle baby Walter was born on February 23, 2022.
