Leukaemia girl's parents appeal for bone marrow donors

[dutchman]

The parents of a seriously ill girl are appealing for people to consider becoming bone marrow donors in the hope it could save their daughter's life.



Rhiane Francois, from Whitley, near Coventry, is having chemotherapy for leukaemia but if it is not effective she will need a bone marrow transplant.

Doctors say a matching donor could be hard to find for the seven-year-old, who has Mauritian and Asian heritage.

Her parents Tanisha and Jean-Claude urged potential donors to come forward.

They are asking people to sign the bone marrow register run by Anthony Nolan, a blood cancer charity.

"When Rhiane was diagnosed, our world turned upside down and it felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart," said Mrs Francois.

"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."

Rhiane was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in September.

Doctors at Birmingham Children's Hospital, where she is being treated, have warned if her course of chemotherapy does not work she will need a transplant. Rhiane is due to find out in February if she needs a transplant.

Anthony Nolan is checking its register for suitable matches. But the charity said it "urgently" needed people from black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds to come forward, as such donors are currently under-represented.

"Joining the bone marrow register is very easy and many people don't realise that donating is so straightforward," said Bhaveshree Chandegra, Asian campaign recruitment manager at Anthony Nolan.

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."

[dutchman]

After battling a horrendous infection in recent weeks, young Coventry leukaemia sufferer Rhiane Francois is praying for a brighter year ahead.



The seven-year-old has undergone months of chemotherapy, and spent much of 2013 desperately ill in Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Her next course of treatment is due to begin – but chemotherapy has not worked so far.

Now Rhiane’s parents, Tanisha and Jean-Claude, have organised another bone marrow testing day on Saturday in the hope of finding their daughter a match. If they can find a suitable match, it will offer the family a glimmer of hope for Rhiane’s future.

An initial testing day held in Coventry in December attracted a great response from members of the public, but sadly did not find a match.

But Tanisha, 30, said: “We’re definitely going to keep going – we won’t stop until we find a match.

“It’s so important for Rhiane. If we found somebody to donate for her, we wouldn’t have to worry – it could save her life.”

Rhiane picked up a recent infection in hospital that left her struggling to breathe.

Tanisha said: “She was very poorly and the doctors were even talking about intensive care for her. “We were so worried, we’ve been absolutely all over the place recently.

“But Rhiane fought it every way she could. One of the doctors turned to me and said, ‘She really is amazing, a true fighter’.

“At one moment, her lung had collapsed and she was on oxygen and she was calling, ‘Grandad, help me’, but her grandad’s been dead several years now. That was a very difficult time.

“Her next chemotherapy session is about to start so we’re all very nervous at the moment – we just hope she’ll make it through.”

Rhiane’s quest for a donor has already touched people’s hearts, and the Telegraph told how the little girl even received a letter from the Queen last month.

Now, Rhiane needs the community to rally around her once again.

Event organisers Delete Blood Cancer particularly want people of Asian origin to come to Saturday’s event, as Rhiane is half Indian and half Mauritian.

Caroline Portlock, from Delete Blood Cancer said: “The registration process is simple and takes a few minutes. It involves using two cotton buds to gently collect cells from the insides of the cheeks, which are then sent to a lab for analysis.”

How you can help Rhiane:

Delete Blood Cancer will be running a swab test on Saturday, between 1pm and 6pm at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre in Corporation Street. The family are also fundraising to help cover the costs of processing swabs given by new potential donors. Rhiane has taken to one of her favourite pasttimes, painting, and is hoping to sell one of her paintings at an online auction.