A 10-year-old girl from the U.K. is in cancer remission after her little sister gave her a lifesaving bone marrow donation. According to SWNS, Ruby Leaning, 10, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after collapsing on the playground in January 2020. At the time, she was only 6-years-old and needed an urgent bone marrow transplant. After many tests, Leaning’s two-year-old sister, Mabel, came up as a “perfect match.”

Speaking with SWNS, the Leaning sister’s grandmother, Amanda Fawcett, confirmed that Ruby received treatment with Mabel’s stem cells. “We [weren’t] expecting her to be a match at first, but thankfully she was, so we just couldn’t believe our luck,” she said. “It was amazing – we were so thankful.” She recalled the day they found out about Ruby’s cancer diagnosis. “It’s just every parent and grandparent’s nightmare. I was in the room with her mom when we found out, and you just can’t take anything in at all. It was all just heart-shattering.” Dr. Katharine Patrick, hematology consultant at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, spoke with Fox News that most children with Ruby’s type of cancer can be treated with just chemotherapy. “However, Ruby’s rare form of ALL meant she also needed a bone marrow transplant to get better,” she said. “When Ruby’s leukemia did not respond well to chemotherapy, she received a relatively new drug called blinatumomab, which got her leukemia into remission and allowed us to perform her bone marrow transplant.”

Their grandmother is currently raising money Parents Association of Children with Tumors and Leukemia (PACT), which supported the Leaning family during the tough time. “None of us could be there for Ruby, which was horrendous for us, because of the pandemic, but they were an amazing support,” Fawcett shared.

By 2022, Ruby Leaning was officially cancer-free, meaning Mabel “saved Ruby’s life for sure,” Fawcett said. “They’ve got a great relationship between them,” she said. “Mabel will be asking to borrow Ruby’s shoes when she realizes [she saved her life] – and we do laugh about how it will be fun and games.” Fawcett shared that Ruby is back to her normal self, all thanks to her heroic little sister.