A 2 year old girl who has leukaemia is in urgent need for a blood cell stem donation to save her life.
Elsie has Myeloid Leukaemia in Down’s Syndrome (MLDS). She was diagnosed in October last year and went into remission in April, but after just a month, Elsie relapsed.
Her Parents Arun and Helen Kumar have launched a donor search along with Delete Blood Cancer UK to search for a matching stem cell donor to keep her alive.
Elsie’s chance of finding a matching donor is reduced because she is an only child and doesn’t have any siblings who could have a matching tissue-type and donate blood stem cells to her, she is also mixed English and Indian heritage. She is therefore dependent on finding a matching donor amongst those who have registered to donate blood stem cells.
Arun and Helen Kumar want to raise awareness of blood stem cell donation and help save the lives of all those in need of a blood stem cell donation, they said, “Given the news that Elsie had relapsed has shattered our world. Our path ahead of us is incredibly uncertain. Elsie’s only chance of survival is to have a blood stem cell donation. We are trying to focus on the things we can do to give Elsie the best chance at beating her terminal illness and that is to appeal to everyone to register as a stem cell donor to find that perfect match for Elsie and others like her. “
A Facebook and Twitter page has been set up at @AMatchForElsie
To register online and see if you could potentially be a blood stem cell donor go to www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk
Any healthy adult living in the UK, between the ages of 18-55 can become a potential blood stem cell donor. If you meet these requirements, you can complete a registration form and swab the inside of your cheeks to collect cells to be sent off for analysis. Your HLA characteristics will be listed anonymously on the UK register. You will then be available to have the opportunity to be a life saving donor for any person in need until your 61st birthday.
