‘Truly wonderful’ mum-of-two, 31, dies with family by her side after developing complication after hospital treatment
A YOUNG mum battling a rare form of cancer passed away surrounded by loved ones after suffering complications from treatment.
Devon Leigh, 31, described as “truly wonderful” by her loved ones, was diagnosed with leukaemia aged just 29.
The mum-of-two passed away on June 4, 2024, having suffered infections and complications following a stem cell transplant to treat her cancer.
Devon developed graft versus host disease (GvHD), a potentially serious condition that sometimes occurs after transplants, where donated cells attack the body’s own cells.
A inquest into her death – held at Manchester Coroners’ Court on January 14 and attended by Manchester Evening News – found that the treatment had contributed to her death.
Assistant coroner Zak Golombeck, who conducted the inquest, said: “I have considered the evidence in this case and taken into account the helpful correspondence from the family.
“It was the stem cell transplantation, which is an unnatural disease process.
“Devon died from recognised complications of necessary medical treatment.”
Mr Golombeck the mum’s loved ones who were present at court: “I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to all of you for your loss and for those condolences to be extended to all the family who are not present today.”
Devon, a nursery room leader, was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in February of 2022, Manchester Evening News reported.
This is a rare type of cancer that affects white blood cells in the bone marrow, causing tiredness, pale skin, fever, bruising and recurring infections.
The mum attended a GP appointment before immediately being admitted to hospital for blood tests and receiving a shocking diagnosis.
She promptly began receiving targeted chemotherapy at the Christie hospital, but it was soon revealed that she had a rare PH variant of the illness, meaning she would need a stem cell transplant.
A donor was found in September 2022 and the transplant took place at Tameside Hospital.
Her partner John Mawdesley said Devon was “very poorly” for months afterwards.
She developed Graft vs Host disease was not allowed visitors due to her weak immune system.
What is graft versus host disease (GvHD)?
Having a transplant means destroying as many cancer cells as possible and replacing these with healthy stem cells.
Transplants use very high doses of chemotherapy and sometimes other treatments such as radiotherapy.
The high dose treatment kills cancer cells but it also kills off the stem cells in your bone marrow that produce your blood cells.
After the high dose treatment you have healthy stem cells through a drip. The healthy stem cells make their way into your bone marrow and start to make blood cells you need again.
GvHD is a possible complication of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant from another person.
It occurs when the donated cells react against the host, the person having the transplant.
It happens when particular types of white blood cell (T cells) in the donated stem cells or bone marrow attack your own body cells, because they see your body cells as foreign.
Normally T cells don’t attack our own body cells, because they recognise specific proteins on the cells called human leukocyte antigens (HLA).
If you and your donor have very similar HLA this lowers the chance of GvHD. The more differences there are between your HLA and your donor’s, the more likely you are to get GvHD.
Some of the factors that increase your risk of GvHD include if:
- Your donor is not related to you
- Your best available donor is still a slight mismatch – your donor will be as close an HLA match as possible
- The donated stem cells or bone marrow contain high numbers of T cells – but this may also lower the chance of relapse
- You or your donor are older – the older you are, the higher the risk
- Your donor is a different sex to you – this is particularly true if a male has a female donor who has had children or been pregnant in the past
- You don’t have a very common virus called cytomegalovirus (you are CMV negative) but your donor is CMV positive
- You have a donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), using white blood cells from the donor – you might have this if your disease comes back after a donor transplant
Source: Cancer Research UK
John told Manchester Evening News: “We were apart from each other for the first month, with only FaceTime available to see or speak to the girls myself and the family.
“After six weeks, Devon returned home very weak and poorly but her leukaemia had gone, so we all rallied around her and, slowly but surely, she returned to herself.
In September last year Devon, from Hyde, was readmitted back into hospital due to health “complications” from the transplant, John said.
She spent nine months battling a number of infections and had three stays on the Intensive Care Unit, beating the odds each despite medics warning her family she might not pull through.
But the mum tragically caught another infection and passed away in hospital on June 4, surrounded by her loved ones.
The inquest found Devon’s cause of death was post-transplant thrombotic angiopathy, Graft vs Host Disease and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
It found that “recurrent infections” were an underlying factor.
Mr Golombeck said: “Inquests can’t look at every twist and turn of a patient’s journey through hospital.
“I have to focus on matters which have caused or contributed to her death. Those matters aren’t related to the medical cause of death.”
Paying tribute to his partner, John said: “Devon was a truly wonderful person with a loving nature and an infectious personality.
“She was a doting mother and partner who lit up every room she walked into.”