THE New Year brought new hope for a ‘determined’ seven-year-old who spent Christmas battling leukaemia.

Penketh South Primary pupil Jenson Wright is now in remission after he underwent a pioneering stem cell transplant using an umbilical cord from a donor in Texas.

Mum Carolyn and dad Steven are thrilled that their brave son is due to come home tomorrow, Friday, after spending almost four months in hospital.

“It was amazing because that was really the only chance he had – we would have been in turmoil if it hadn’t worked. The fight isn’t over yet. The longer he is in remission, the better it is,” said Carolyn.

“There are still a lot of challenges we will face.

“We are really proud, he’s an inspiration. So many people have said to us that he inspires them too. He is so completely determined, most things haven’t fazed him and he’s still cheerful.”

Fundraisers took place across the town in December to support Jenson, with a Christmas jumper day in his honour.

The cast of I’m a Celebrity also sent their best wishes and Jenson was thrilled to be visited by his favourite footballers Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford on the day of his transplant.

The procedure involved 21mls of blood being infused into his system and Carolyn said: “He has had some side effects – effectively he now has two DNAs and is even a different blood group after the transplant.

“I don’t know why it’s not an automatic sign up for new mums to donate stem cells from the umbilical cord. It’s amazing and a very new treatment.

“We owe his life to another mother across the other side of the world and we are so grateful.”

But Jenson is now keen to get back to normal life after spending six weeks in isolation.

“He won’t go back to school until the summer term because of winter viruses so we will need to home school him. We need his immunity to increase. He has missed out on so much, he just wants to get home and see his friends,” added Carolyn.

Although there were two more transplant matches the NHS will not fund another transplant, so the family are continuing to fundraise.

And they are hoping to celebrate properly for Jenson’s eighth birthday on February 11.
Visit Jenson’s fundraising page at gofundme.com/jensonsjourneytocancercure.