Melbourne couple Nicole and Jim Walker already had three children when their youngest, Abby, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia aged just two in July 2006.
While Abby was undergoing chemotherapy, Nicole and Jim decided to have another baby so they could harvest its cord blood stem cells to save Abby if chemo failed.
“There were a few people who were against it, the fact that this baby may be brought into the world and made to think that it was born just in order to help Abby,” Nicole told Australian Story last night.
“A lot of people believe that maybe you’re playing God, playing with the stem cells, but I believe that anyone would do anything to save their child if put in that position.”
Their fourth child James was born in May 2008 and his stem cells were harvested. But Abby’s chemo worked and to this date, the stem cells haven’t been used. The family don’t even know if James’ stem cells are a match for Abby, and will only have them tested if Abby’s cancer returns.
It is now 10 years since Abby’s diagnosis and Nicole and Jim have no regrets, saying they would even consider a fifth child if it would save their daughter.
“I can’t see any more children in the foreseeable future,” Nicole said. “I think four is plenty. But if it did come down to it and Abby needed a transplant and the other three were not suitable then I would consider another baby.”
