Newtownabbey boy Dylan (10) celebrates one year since life-saving transplant as DKMS UK urges people to join stem cell donor register
Blood cancer charity DKMS UK has shared how a 10-year-old Newtownabbey boy’s life was saved by a stranger as it urges people across Northern Ireland to join the stem cell donor register.
Dylan Hume was diagnosed in 2024 with aplastic anaemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder.
Before becoming ill, he loved playing football with his friends at St Mary’s FC in Glengormley, where his dad Ross is a coach.
As Dylan became increasingly unwell, he needed platelet transfusions almost every week just to keep him alive.
Doctors told his family that his best chance of recovery was a stem cell transplant – but sadly, none of his relatives were a match.
A search began to find a stranger who could save his life and in 2025, more than 300 people signed up at a donor registration event held at Glengormley Integrated Primary School.
Eventually, the family received the news they had been desperately hoping for: a donor had been found. A man from Europe had agreed to donate his stem cells to save Dylan’s life.
Just days before World Blood Cancer Day in 2025, Dylan was finally strong enough to undergo his life-saving transplant at a hospital in Scotland.
His mum Claire said: “Dylan has just had his one year post-transplant birthday, and is doing incredible. His road to recovery post-transplant has had a few bumps, with a hospital admission shortly after we returned home, and some adjustments and new medications. As always, Dylan has faced these head on with his fierce determination.”
In recent months, Dylan’s condition has improved significantly and he hit a huge milestone – he has finally been able to go back to school.
“Getting to go back to school and be with his classmates has been a huge boost for him,” added Claire. “He is now enjoying the freedom of playing outside with his friends and getting his fitness back on track for his upcoming sports day!”
DKMS UK is encouraging more people to take a few minutes to order a free home swab kit and potentially become a lifesaver for someone else facing blood cancer or a serious blood disorder.
DKMS spokesperson Bronagh Hughes said: “We’re calling on people across NI to get on the stem cell donor register, which is so simple to do. When a patient needs a stem cell transplant, most will not find a donor in their immediate family. Patients like Dylan will rely on finding a stranger on the donor register who is a compatible stem cell match. Joining the register means that you could offer that lifeline for someone in their time of greatest need. Most people will never be called to donate, but if you are, you have the potential to save someone’s life.”
Dylan and his family are encouraging people to order a free swab kit via the DKMS website (dkms.org.uk), complete simple mouth swabs, and return them to be added to the register.
Claire said: “There isn’t a day goes by that we don’t think about how incredibly grateful we are to Dylan’s donor and every member of the various medical teams, charities, family and friends that have supported Dylan and us as a family. I will continue to urge people to consider signing up to the stem cell donor register.”