ORIGINAL DETAILS OF THE APPEAL
The mother and father of 3-month old Damario Thomas are appealing to the Black Community to save the life of their beautiful baby boy. The family were told of his fatal condition when he was only 3 weeks old and his survival now relies on a suitable matching bone marrow from the black community. Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening haematological condition, which has left Damario without an immune system, and prone to infections which can at anytime prove fatal. The family are constantly in and out of hospital, as Damario needs regular chemotherapy. He desperately needs a transplant as soon as possible to give him the greatest possible chance of life.
Less than 20,000 people out of the 382,000 people on The Anthony Nolan register are from the black & mixed parentage community, making it increasing difficult to locate donors for BME patients suffering with Leukaemia. Given that a person’s tissue type is inherited, a compatible donor is most likely to be found within the patients own ethnic group; hence an African Caribbean patient’s chances of finding a match are increased if the donor is from the African Caribbean community.
We are urging people from the black & mixed race community, especially those of Jamaican and Sierra Leone decent to register as potential donors to save the life of this beautiful baby boy and the many others before it’s too late.
Registration sessions are currently being organised to encourage members of the black and mixed race community to register to save Damario and the many other patients in the black community struggling to find a donor.
Every year 27,000 adults & children in the UK are diagnosed with leukaemia.
For many of these patients a bone marrow transplant represents the only possible long-term cure. Without an unrelated bone marrow transplant they may die and many more donors are urgently needed.
The Anthony Nolan trust DESPERATELY needs more donors from the black and mixed race community to save more lives.
Join The Anthony Nolan bone marrow register at one of the following sessions:
Monday 28th May, Time: 11am till 7pm at the Afro, Hair & Beauty Show, Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Way, London N22 7AY. (This is a paid entry
event)
Saturday 2nd June, Time: 11am till 6pm at the Lewisham Fire Station,
249/259 Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6NH
Saturday 9th June, Time: 2pm till 6pm, Damilola Taylor Centre, East Surrey Grove, Peckham, SE15 6DR
www.savedamario.com
www.myspace.com/damariothomas
www.myspace.com/anthonynolantrust
www.anthonynolan.org.uk
If you are between 18 and 40 years old, in good health & weigh at least 8 stone, then please join the Bone Marrow Register. You could be someone's lifesaver this Christmas.
Give a gift of life - JOIN THE ANTHONY NOLAN REGISTER!!
