- Rhiane Francois is undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia
- If the treatment is not effective she will need a bone marrow transplant
- Her Mauritian and Asian heritage makes it harder to find a matching donor
- Cancer charity says it ‘urgently’ needs more black and Asian donors
By
John Hall
04:27 EST, 1 January 2014
|
05:17 EST, 1 January 2014
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Request: Rhiane Francois (left) may need bone marrow to help treat her leukaemia. Her mother Tanisha (right) has asked people to donate
The parents of a seriously ill girl have asked people to consider making a New Year’s resolution to donate bone marrow, saying it could help save their daughter’s life.
Seven-year-old Rhiane Francois is undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia – but if the treatment is not effective she will also need a bone marrow transplant.
Because Rhiane has Mauritian and Asian heritage it may be hard to pair her to a donor as a matching donor is most likely to come from a similar ethnic background.
Her parents Tanisha and Jean-Claude, from Whitley, near Coventry, have called on potential donors to sign up to the charity’s bone marrow register.
‘When Rhiane was diagnosed, our world turned upside down and it felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart,’ Mrs Francois said.
‘You just never think that something like this is going to happen to your child.
‘If Rhiane needs a bone marrow transplant, we will need to find a matching donor quickly to save her life.
‘That’s why we are urging everyone eligible to join Anthony Nolan’s bone marrow register now, especially people from ethnic minorities.
‘You could be a matching donor for Rhiane or someone else out there who desperately needs a transplant.’
The youngster was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in September last year.
Doctors at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she is being treated, have warned that if her course of chemotherapy does not work she will need a bone marrow transplant.
Shortage: Because Rhiane has Mauritian and Asian heritage it could be hard to find matching bone marrow. Cancer charity Anthony Nolan says it ‘urgently’ needs more black and Asian donors
WHAT IS THE ANTHONY NOLAN CHARITY?
Anthony Nolan is a UK charity working with people suffering from blood cancer and blood disorders.
The
charity was set up in 1974 by Shirley Nolan after her three-year-old
son was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome – a rare blood disease.
Anthony
was told he needed a bone marrow transplant, but none of his family
were a match and all previous unrelated donor transplants had been unsuccessful.
Although the charity was unable to help Anthony, who died in 1979, the
register now contains over 480,000 potential donors.
As
well as matching donors to patients, the charity
also conducts world-class research into stem cell matching and
transplants.
Blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan is scouring its register to see whether there is a suitable match.
But it warned that it
‘urgently’ needs more people from black, Asian and other ethnic minority
backgrounds to come forward because ethnic minority donors are
‘under-represented’ on the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.
The seven-year-old will find out in February whether she needs a transplant.
‘It’s hard to think of a more worthwhile
new year’s resolution than signing up to save the life of a stranger in
their time of need, and unlike many resolutions, it’s so simple to do,’
said Bhaveshree Chandegra, Asian campaign recruitment manager at Anthony
Nolan.
‘Joining the bone marrow register is very easy and many people don’t realise that donating is so straightforward.’
‘In 90 per cent of cases, it’s a similar procedure to giving blood.’
Dr Mark Velangi, consultant paediatric haematologist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: ‘We know from first-hand experience the difficulty we can face in the search for donors from ethnic minority backgrounds and are so proud of Rhiane and her family for continuing to raise awareness of bone marrow donation.’
:: People aged 16 to 30 in good health can visit www.anthonynolan.org to sign up to the bone marrow register
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Geoff_H,
London, United Kingdom,
19 hours ago
I successfully donated bone marrow via the Anthony Nolan charity more than 20 years ago and can honestly say that I consider it to be one of the most worthwhile things I have done in my life.
Magpie,
Oxford, United Kingdom,
20 hours ago
I’m on the Anthony Nolan register. So easy to do, simple procedure, come on people, save a life!
mailman,
wakefield, United Kingdom,
21 hours ago
face the consequences of your actions
redskelf,
Bexhill, United Kingdom,
1 day ago
Did they donate bone marrow themselves, before their child became ill? People only seem to think about it when they have a loved-one in need of a donor. I tried to donate but am too old.
Yorkshire Pud,
Barnsley, United Kingdom,
1 day ago
I hope this little girl finds the match she needs.
There are several registers you can join if you are too old for the Anthony Nolan register. Try Delete Blood Cancer or the NHS British Bone Marrow Register.
Jan,
Cardiff,
1 day ago
If you live in Wales, you can join The Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Wishing you success in your treatment Rhiane
Solstice,
HK,
1 day ago
good luck
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