Young patients in fine voice for DKMS
Festive friendship formed at ING Christmas carol concert
Stem cell transplant patients Elsie, 10, and Livia, six, stole hearts when they led the choir singing ‘Away in a Manger’ at a special Christmas carol concert hosted by DKMS charity partners ING in the heart of the City of London.
A new friendship
The two girls met for the first time at St Margaret's Church, Lothbury on 20 December. Elsie, who this year celebrated eight years since her stem cell transplant and Livia, who is the daughter of an ING colleague and who starred in our Queen's Diamond Jubilee campaign in 2022, quickly became firm friends as they joined forces with the ING choir for a very festive evening.
Raising funds
Livia and Elsie also helped with a collection at the concert to support the fight against blood cancer, with 50% of the funds raised going to DKMS. Elsie’s parents, Arun and Helen, shared the story of her diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia and search for a stem cell match on the concert programme, and Helen joined ING colleagues to give readings
After the concert, the congregation enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies. A big DKMS ‘thank you’ to everyone who came, and to ING for their continued support of our mission to delete blood cancer.
Merry Christmas!
