Stem cell donor from Stoke-On-Trent reunites with US teenager whose life he saved

  • Report from ITV News Central's Rachael Lewis


A stem cell donor from Stoke-on-Trent has flown to Texas, USA, to meet the teenager whose life he saved.

Daniel Lewis-Dayle, 45, from Stoke-on-Trent, is an actor and customer service worker.

In 2018, he decided to sign up to the donor register after watching an episode of 'Home and Away' about a character with blood cancer.

At the time, he had no idea how much impact that decision would have on the life of someone else.

In Dallas, Texas, 12-year-old Payton had been diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, aplastic anaemia, and was waiting to find a stem cell match. Daniel, was that match.

Nearly half a decade after the transplant, the pair have come together in an emotional reunion.

Payton, now 17, is a healthy teenager who is finishing off her high school studies.

Both Daniel and Payton are now encouraging more people to sign up to the donor register.

Daniel spoke to ITV News Central presenters Steve Clamp and Hannah Bechelet about how much the trip to America meant to him...


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