A campaign to save the life of an eight-year-old girl from Cardiff who is in need of a bone marrow transplant is gathering pace.
Celebrities including Wales rugby captain Sam Warburton have joined those posting selfies with their pants on their head, to raise awareness of Hollie Clark’s search for a donor.
Hollie’s parents Laura and Stephen hope that their #pantsonyourhead campaign will help spread the word about the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register via social media.
Hollie's story:
The idea for the campaign began a few weeks ago when Hollie was in a hospital bed, after receiving her first treatment for a rare bone marrow syndrome.
Hollie’s mum Laura Clark, a GP, explained: “Hollie was feeling really unwell after her first round of blood transfusions, and at this time, the only way some of our family could communicate with her was by using FaceTime.
“Her Uncle Matthew put his underwear on his head to make her laugh while he was talking to her on FaceTime and it sparked an idea for a way we could raise awareness about Anthony Nolan in a way that’s fun and personal to Hollie.”
Shattering news for Hollie's parents
Hollie was diagnosed with a disorder called Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in April this year, a bone marrow condition which is very rare in young people.
Hollie had started developing unusual bruising, which Laura noticed with some concern. She decided to take her daughter to their doctor who ran tests and sent Hollie to hospital that night, where they were given the shattering news.
“It was an absolute shock, it is literally the worst thing as a parent you could be told,” said Laura. “It was hard to believe because she’d been so active at the time; she loves swimming and cycling and playing with her friends, and she’d been doing all these things without us even knowing that her haemoglobin levels were dangerously low.”
Laura describes Hollie as a ‘typical 8 year old, who loves everything’, from reading her favourite books to the latest girly craze of wearing ‘loom bands’.
The search for a donor
Hollie is still managing to attend school most days, but is now surviving on blood transfusions until a suitable donor can be found on the Anthony Nolan register.
“We are keen to find a donor while Hollie remains quite stable, we do not want it to get to a stage where she is very ill again which will make the procedure more difficult,” said Laura.
After discovering her younger brother Sam was not a match, her parents Laura and Stephen decided to take action to find one as quickly as possible.
The #pantsonyourhead campaign on social media
The @HelpHollie #pantsonyourhead campaign was launched less than a week ago and has already taken off on Twitter and Facebook.
The family need people who are aged between 16 and 30 to join the Anthony Nolan register, simply by filling in an online form and spitting into a tube. They are asking people to put their pants on their head and share their pictures on Facebook and Twitter as a sign of their support, nominating others to do the same.
They hope it will replicate the recent success of the #Shake4Mike appeal, where people posted ‘shakey-face’ selfies to help Mike Brandon, 29, find a donor.
Celebrities show their support
Welsh rugby player Sam Warburton kickstarted the viral trend when he tweeted a picture of himself with pants on his and his dog Ledley’s head. Athlete Jamie Baulch and sports commentator Jonathan Davies have also joined in with their pant-tastic selfies.
#HelpHollie #pantsonyourhead Hollie in need of a bone marrow transplant RT @HelpHollie @HolliesParents pic.twitter.com/s1VcD3RIkd
— Sam Warburton (@samwarburton_) June 16, 2014
@HolliesParents @HelpHollie #panstonyourhead pic.twitter.com/sJsiwG5Uae
— Jonathan Davies (@JiffyRugby) June 16, 2014
Mrs Clark said: “We can’t believe how much support we have already had for this campaign.
“Obviously we’re desperate to find a donor for Hollie but this is not just for her, we realise the impact this can have for other families in the same situation. Even one extra donor signing up could transform someone’s life.”
How you can help
Aged 16–30? Sign up online to join our register - it's easy and fast.
Not eligible to join the register? You can still help us save more lives.
It costs us £100 to add each new potential lifesaver to our register - donate to Hollie's JustGiving page here.