Mason meets his life-saving hero
Last updated 16:17, Wednesday, 29 October 2008
CLEATOR Moor schoolboy Mason Haley had an emotional reunion on Friday night with the man who saved his life.
Maria and David Haley, Mason’s proud parents, held a party to mark five years of good health for their son.
In 2003 cheerful, football-mad Mason was waiting for a life-saving bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
The life-saving operation went ahead thanks to donor Stuart Barrick.
Last week’s party at Cleator Moor Civic Hall marked five years to the day after Mason received the bone marrow transplant in a Newcastle hospital.
Mason, who was beaming from ear to ear, said: “The first thing I said to him was thank you. I was so excited to finally meet him.”
The Anthony Nolan Trust carefully regulates contact between donors and recipients and, although Stuart and Mason have written to each other, they had never met. Mum Maria said: “It took six months to find a match. We had been tested but were not a match. Stuart was 100 per cent a match. It’s absolutely brilliant to finally meet Stuart. It has been emotional for us all.”
She added that Mason’s quality of life has vastly improved. He used to be in tears at the window and wanted to go to school. Mason is now at St Benedict’s School.
“He has got back to playing football,” Maria said. “That was always his wish.”
Stuart Barrick, from West Yorkshire, came to Cleator Moor with his family on Friday night.
He said: “I was very excited to meet Mason and his family, and a little bit shy. It is hard to appreciate what people go through. This is a fantastic success story. Things like this should encourage people to do more.
“We had been in touch for the first time after two-and-a-half years. I used to get beautiful home-made cards that read ‘to my donor.’ I had a lovely parcel with cuttings from the News & Star. That was the first time I saw a picture of Mason.”
He added that the first time he had given a sample for donation was 10 years ago.
He said: “A colleague of mine was fundraising for a child who had leukaemia 10 years ago. Several of us went and that’s when I first gave a sample.
“I would encourage people to give a sample. People worry that they might not be a match and it might be painful to give a donation. It’s not.”
