The family of 11-year-old Newton Aycliffe resident Peter Dunnington-Waters are calling on people to sign up as bone marrow donors just days before their sons own lifesaving bone marrow transplant.
Peter was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia just two months ago, and doctors told his family that he needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life.
Helen, Peter’s mum, says, “Peter’s diagnosis has been really tough – he’s too ill to go to school and he’s really missing all his friends. But being told that his only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant was even harder, because we know that not everyone finds a matching donor.”
Fortunately, we were able to find him a match from our register and Peter’s transplant will go ahead later this month. His family are now holding a recruitment drive at Darlington College on 19th November, and are calling on the local community to come forward to sign up as bone marrow donors.
Helen adds, “Finding a bone marrow donor for Peter has given us hope, but we know that not everyone is as lucky as us. We want to recruit as many new bone marrow donors as possible, to give other families hope in the future.”
Lynsey Dickson, regional recruitment manager for Anthony Nolan, says, “We’re delighted that Peter has found a match and we’ve all got our fingers crossed for his transplant. But there are many other people out there who are still hunting for a match – simply because there aren’t enough donors on the bone marrow register. But Darlington residents have the chance to change this on 19th November, and if anyone can’t make it to the event itself, they can still sign up online.”
Tim Grant, Principal of Darlington College, comments: “We are very pleased to be able to support such an important cause. The recruitment event will be very well supported by all of our staff and students and I am very proud that we can be involved.”
Event details
Monday 19th November, 10am-2pm
Central Point, Darlington College, Central Park, Haughton Rd, Darlington DL1 1DR
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