Thousands join race to find lifesaver for 7 year old Finn
THOUSANDS of people have joined a race
against time to find someone who can save the life of a 7 year old boy.
Delete Blood Cancer UK has had several thousand people register with it as
potential blood stem cell donors in the last week in response to an appeal for
Finn McEwen. Finn, who is from Liverpool, has just been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), a bone marrow disorder that in children can
rapidly develop into acute myeloid leukaemia. He needs a blood stem cell
donation from someone with the same tissue-type as him as that is the only
potential cure for the condition, and so a matching donor is urgently sought for
him.
Finn is funny, polite and bright, and a huge fan of Minecraft and football. He
has a younger brother and sister, Lucas and Seren, His mum Carole says:-
"Finn is the most mature, sensitive and caring 7-year-old you could ever meet,
and his first thought is always for other people's feelings. He is the best big
brother and is always looking out for his little brother, sister and cousins,
who adore him. All I want for him now is to get well so that he can continue
doing the things he loves. I would urge anyone who hasn't yet registered as a
potential blood stem cell donor to take a few minutes to register. It is so easy
to do, but so incredibly important."
Emphasising how crucial it is that people register, Joe Hallett, Donor
Recruitment Manager at Delete Blood Cancer UK, said:- "We have seen a
massive rise in people registering as a result of Finn's appeal but we need
many, many more to register. Finding a tissue match is a bit like winning the
lottery and the more people registered the better the chances of a patient
finding their lifesaving match."
You can register in 5 minutes online and request a cheek swab kit that will
enable you to do your own tissue test to become a potential blood stem cell
donor through the Delete Blood Cancer UK
website.
