A GOLF-mad toddler with a life-limiting blood disorder has just months to find a successful stem cell transplant donor.

Arlo McArthur, three, was first diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome when he was just ten weeks old.

The only potential cure was through a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, which was unsuccessful.

Now Arlo’s disease has returned, he needs a second transplant to survive. Arlo has three matches on the register already, but doctors say they are all too old and can’t take the risk again.

The youngsters family, from Milngavie, are appealing for people to support blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan in raising urgent funds to add more donors to the stem cells register and give their little boy the best possible chance of survival.

Glasgow Times:

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the charity’s fundraising activity and a large number of people joining the charity’s register means there is a backlog of around 25,000 potential donors.

The charity need to raise £500,000 to add people to the register, from ordering more swab packs to analysing completed swabs in its laboratory.

Any one of the 25,000 people who have applied to join the Anthony Nolan could be a match for Arlo, who loves golf.

Nicole McArthur, Arlo’s mum, said: “He first got into watching it with his dad Ian on TV. We took him to a driving range, and he was actually quite good. So, we bought him clubs for his birthday and it kind of went from there.

“He is strong-minded but also intense, sensitive and very loving.”

Glasgow Times:

The 37-year-old realised there was something wrong with Arlo when he was only two weeks old. She said: “We rushed him to A&E after he vomited a blood clot. Doctors initially diagnosed a severe cow’s milk allergy and sent us home.

“Later he vomited again, and we found blood in his poo so we returned to A&E. It was suggested that it may be leukaemia as his platelets were so low. After that was ruled out, we waited weeks for a diagnosis.

“He was diagnosed in November, they started searching the register, and a donor match was found for him on December 22. It was the best Christmas present ever.

“The donor was American, and the stem cells were flown over to us on February 28. Their landing in Heathrow unfortunately coincided with a massive snowstorm. They closed Heathrow and airports in Scotland, so the cells got stuck.

“We were so worried that we tried to charter a helicopter. Finally, we managed to get an Uber to drive the cells to Scotland.”

Arlo’s transplant was successful, and the cells were engrafting. But that started to change, and his engraftment started to drop with each check in.

Nicole added: “The doctor said this was extremely rare. But Arlo doesn’t play by the book. Arlo does the opposite of what the book says…

“We were told he was in need of a second transplant or his quality of life would drop. I thought this meant he wouldn’t be able to play football with the other kids, but it turns out that it was much more serious than this.

“Doctors did not want to risk using the same donor for Arlo. There were two other matches on the register for him, but neither were suitable. As they were both older donors, doctors didn’t want to take the risk. I was gobsmacked as initially there were three potential donors, now there were none.

“The best-case scenario was Arlo would have a full sibling match, but this wasn’t possible as Arlo only has half-sisters. The next preferable thing would be a matching unrelated young male donor, but we know we don’t have that.

Glasgow Times:

“We thought about all-sorts, we thought about having another baby. Arlo’s dad is a haplo, a half match, so if we can’t find an unrelated donor, we’re going with that because if we don’t, the alternative is much worse.

“Doctors want to do the transplant by early spring. I know he’s a ticking time-bomb, they just need to go-ahead and get it done.”

Anthony Nolan recruits people aged 16-30 to the stem cell register as research has shown younger people are more likely to be chosen to donate.

Nicole is pleading for people, especially young men, to join the register.

She said: “I would just say please, please read the information on it and join. It’s not as big a deal as people think it is. You can save a life by getting a few injections.

“Before Arlo, I was so ignorant until I was in this situation but it’s an amazing thing to do. All of Arlo’s immediate family and friends have joined now. It’s not just our Arlo, there are plenty of Arlos out there who need your help.”

To join the register, or to donate, click here.