Elsie needs blood stem cell donor match to survive deadly cancer
A brave two-year-old girl with leukaemia could need your help to save her life.
Elsie Kumar of Holloway, who was also born with Downs Syndrome, suffered a relapse of her deadly blood cancer in April despite seemingly beating the disease with five gruelling months of chemotherapy.
Her parents, Helen and Arun Kumar, have been told that her only chance now of surviving the illness is through a blood stem cell transplant.
However, with Elsie being an only child and of both British and Indian descent, the chances of finding a match are slim at best.
As a result the couple, who are constantly at their daughter’s bedside at Great Ormond Street hospital, have launched an appeal pleading for anyone who can to sign up as a donor and help save Elsie’s life.
Elsie’s mother Helen, 43, who lives with Elsie and husband Arun 41, in Bordolf Road, said: “There’s lots of uncertainty because she’s having early relapse chemo and it’s really, really harsh.
“The doctors warned us that she would be on a constant morphine drip and might not survive so we were just really, really trying to enjoy our days left with her.
“But she’s been amazing, the doctors are so amazed every day since she has had the chemo we have been taking her out to the park.
“We know it’s a massive hurdle to get a match but the appeal is something in our control, something we can do.”
There are 12million people on the donation register and the chance of finding a match would usually be 40,000 to one, but with Elsie being mixed race the odds are much slimmer.
Her parents, with the help of charity Delete Blood Cancer, are appealing for as many white, Indian and mixed race people to sign up to the register to increase her chances.
“We just need everyone that can to sign up, said Mrs Kumar.
“It’s such a small test, it’s just a mouth swab, it’s really quick and easy and the chance of you being called up are very slim but if you are you’re saving someone’s life.
“It’s not as scary as people think, 90 per cent of the time the stem cells can be taken directly from the blood.”
You can register to be a donor here and find out more about Elsie and her parents’ struggle .
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