Lyra Cassell, 20, was saved thanks to the decision of a mother in Spain

A British teenager with a rare form of cancer had her life saved by blood taken from the umbilical cord of a baby born in Spain 12 years earlier. Lyra Cassell, now 20, underwent the unique transplant at the age of 16 after being diagnosed with precursor T-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia.

After several rounds of chemotherapy, doctors injected her with a small vial of about 20ml of blood drawn from the placenta and umbilical cord of a newborn baby, which has since cured her. She was given this particular blood as it was the most compatible and readily available at the time.

According to the NHS , cord blood is the blood left in the placenta and umbilical cord following the birth of a baby. It's rich in stem cells, whic

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