Thousands of people have joined a race against time to find someone who can save the life of a seven-year-old boy. Several thousand people have registered 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.
Thousands of people have joined a race against time to find someone who can save the life of a seven-year-old boy.
Several thousand people have registered 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 seven-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 too and it will only take you five minutes to request a cheek swab kit online
www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/register-now
Together Against Blood Cancer