The Worcester community is coming together this Thursday to recruit bone marrow donors following a recent appeal from the family of Tia Pugh, a three year old girl with two extremely rare illnesses, whose story has already captured the hearts of people all around the UK.
Event details
Thursday 20th February 2014
3pm – 7pm
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
County Ground
New Road
Worcester
WR2 4QQ
Tia's story
Little Tia Pugh has a very rare form of immune deficiency called STAT1 deficiency. She also has a Tuberculosis-like illness called Mycobacterium malmoense and it is possible that Tia is the only person on the planet to be struck by both illnesses simultaneously. Tia’s family have been told that she needs a bone marrow transplant, but first she needs a matching donor.
Tia’s father Nick and mother Yupa will attend the event at Worcestershire County Cricket Club on Thursday 20 February from 3pm to 7pm, and hope that as many people as possible from Worcester will come along to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register at the event.
Karen Archer, Regional Register Development Manager at Anthony Nolan, the UK’s blood cancer charity, says, “We are urging the Worcester community to support this campaign for more bone marrow donors. A bone marrow transplant is usually the best chance at survival for someone with a blood disorder. For a successful transplant, we need to find a donor who matches the person in need of a transplant. For people like little Tia, finding a matching bone marrow donor can make all the difference. It is especially important that more people of South East Asian and mixed-Asian heritage sign up, as these people will provide the best chances of being a suitable match.”
Tia’s dad Nick Pugh has called upon everyone to imagine if it was their child and help Tia as soon as they can. “Tia is our darling little daughter and it is heart-breaking to watch her suffer like this. Now that the doctors have identified what’s wrong we can at last get moving on finding a cure. But we have to be quick, and that cure is out of our hands until we can find a match.
‘All I can say to everyone out there is please help us, however you can. Think how you would feel if it was your daughter, or your son, and you needed a stranger to help them survive. Childhood is supposed to be full of fun and joy, and that’s all we want for our Tia. Please help us help her, by signing up to the bone marrow register.’
People aged 16–30 and in good health can join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register at the recruitment event below. Joining the register simply involves filling in a form and providing a saliva sample.
Read more about Tia's story