Sofia Gardella, a 9-year-old girl from Mansfield, has met the woman whose stem cell donation saved her life. Sofia was diagnosed with Congenital Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia, an extremely rare genetic blood disorder with fewer than 100 known cases worldwide, when she was just two years old.
Her family turned to the Anthony Nolan Stem Cell Register, which connects people with genetic conditions to potential donors, and found a match in Dana Ernst Behme, a 52-year-old woman from Germany.
Dana's stem cell donation was flown to the UK for Sofia's treatment, ultimately saving her life. The two met for the first time at Birmingham airport, sharing an emotional embrace.