‘Winning the lottery wouldn’t come close to finding a donor’
Born in December 2012, Khalid Adam was a healthy baby for the first four months of his life. However, Khalid’s mum, Tracy Kyberd, started to notice that something wasn’t right with her son when he suddenly came down with fever like symptoms.
Tracy says, “He was rushed to hospital struggling to breathe. They treated him in hospital for what they believed to be pneumonia before sending him home about a week later.”
Khalid was readmitted to Coventry’s University Hospital the following week after developing a lump and blisters near his groin.
He was later transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with dad Isa by his side while Tracy stayed to care for her other children.
Khalid's diagnosis
It was from the Children’s Hospital that Isa phoned Tracy in tears to say she was needed in Birmingham urgently. It was then that she was told her 19 month old son had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer.
Khalid started a five-month course of chemotherapy on June 27 and he eventually returned home at the end of November.
Tracy said: “We were all so happy, even though we’d been told he had a 70 per cent chance of relapse.
“We knew of the risks but clung to the 30 per cent. We celebrated Khalid’s birthday and Christmas and everything was going fine.”
'I couldn't believe it'
A routine check-up last month revealed that the cancer had returned.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Tracy. "He looked absolutely fine and I asked if they were sure.”
Khalid and Tracy
Khalid was immediately placed on the first of five-day courses of chemotherapy to stop the cancer spreading. The intense treatment caused a hole to develop in his heart.
The doctors then told the family that his best chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant from a stranger. This need to find a match for Khalid was made even more urgent because doctors fear his young body will be unable to cope with the aggressive treatment needed to keep his cancer at bay.
Reduced chances of finding a match
Because Khalid is mixed race his chances of finding a 100 per cent match are reduced because the number of donors from ethnic minority backgrounds are under-represented on the Anthony Nolan register.
White Northern Europeans have a 90 per chance of finding a suitable bone marrow donor whilst this stat falls to just 40 per cent for people from black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Khalid’s family are now tirelessly campaigning to raise awareness and get more black, Asian and minority ethnic donors on the register.
“I’ve cried and cried but must be strong for my other children. Every day is the same as we wait for a donor and we’re getting really desperate now.
“We urge people to come forward for testing. All it takes is to go online, sign up and spit in a tube.
“We just need someone, anyone, who is a 100 per cent match to save my little boy’s life. Winning the lottery wouldn’t come close.”
Coventry gets behind the Khalid appeal
Since their appeal began, the Anthony Nolan website has seen a big increase in the number of donors from the Coventry area. With 10% of the all registrations from Coventry in 2014 coming in the last week. The blood cancer charity has now joined the family to call for more people from minority ethnic background to join the register.
Sarah Roulstone, regional register development manager at Anthony Nolan, said: “When someone like Khalid needs a bone marrow transplant, it is usually their best chance of survival.
“We need more people to step forward as donors so that we can find matches for people in need of a transplant, especially people from black and minority ethnic communities as they are underrepresented on the register.
“What many people don’t realise is just how simple it is to be a donor. Registering simply involves providing a saliva sample.
“If you are found to be a match for someone like Khalid, the donation procedure is usually similar to giving blood.”
If you are 16–30 and in good health you can join the Anthony Nolan register here:
You can also follow Khalid’s journey on the ‘Khalid’s Fight’ page on Facebook.