The family of two year old Gaurav Bains from Birmingham are appealing for donors after being told that he urgently needs a bone marrow transplant before Christmas.
Gaurav from Birmingham was diagnosed with blood disorder Monosomy 7 Syndrome in June and is likely to develop an aggressive form of childhood leukaemia. Doctors have told his family that his chances of survival will be increased if he has a bone marrow transplant before he develops leukaemia.
Doctors have now told the family that Gaurav’s big sister, 4 year old Kiran, is not a match for him and so they will be searching the bone marrow register to try to find an unrelated match.
Father Sunny Bains, says, “Finding out that Kiran is not a match for Gaurav was really difficult news because it means that Gaurav’s best chance of survival will be a bone marrow transplant from someone that we don’t know. We know that it is difficult to find matches for Asian patients because there is a lack of Asian donors on the bone marrow register. We have also been told that it will be best if Gaurav has a transplant before Christmas, so we don’t have long to find that match.”
“We just hope that someone out there is a match for Gaurav. It would be amazing to find a matching donor for my son, but it’s not just about him. You could be a match for anyone out there in need of a bone marrow transplant.”
“Now, more than ever, we’re asking everyone eligible to join Anthony Nolan’s bone marrow register. You could help our son or someone else who is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. Please, take a few minutes out of your day, and sign up as a bone marrow donor.”
Bhaveshree Chandegra, Anthony Nolan’s Asian Campaign Recruitment Manager, says, “Like most people in need of a bone marrow transplant, Gaurav doesn’t have a match within his family and is relying on the bone marrow register to find a suitable donor. Many people don’t realise how easy it is to join the bone marrow register – it simply involves filling in a form and providing a saliva sample.”
If you are aged 16–30, you can join the register online today.
There is a patient appeal event for Gaurav from 3pm to 8pm on 26th October 2013 at:
Guru Nanak Gudwara
130 High street
Smethwick
West Midlands
B66 3AP