Mother’s request to find a stem cell donor for her nine-year-old daughter | British News

A woman is urgently seeking a stem cell donor for her nine-year-old daughter, who has been diagnosed with a rare and potentially fatal blood disorder.

Amilah Hussain from Horsham, West SussexShe was first taken to her GP earlier this year to have repeated bruises on her shins checked.

Blood tests showed low platelet counts and in October Amilah was diagnosed with aplastic anemia at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Aplastic anemia is a rare condition that occurs when the bone marrow cannot make enough new blood cells for a person’s body to function normally, making it harder to fight infections, stop bleeding, or carry oxygen.

Doctors have told Amilah’s mother Mobeen Hussain that a stem cell transplant is her daughter’s only hope for a cure – but there is currently no match in the stem cell registry.

Amilah’s Pakistani heritage means she is more likely to have a unique tissue type and is less likely to find a donor on UK registries compared to people from white, northern European backgrounds.

To find a suitable donor, Ms Hussain, 42, has launched the Amilah Means Hope campaign with stem cell charity Anthony Nolan to encourage people aged between 16 and 30 – particularly those from ethnic minorities – to sign up to the stem cell register to enter.

Ms Hussain said: “When we looked at it, it appeared there was a shortage of donors suitable for patients from ethnic minority communities. The general awareness of this simply isn’t there.”

“Knowing that it will be difficult for Amilah to find a donor makes me want to do something.”

“Until this happened, I didn’t realize this (stem cell donation) was something people could do,” she continued. “That’s why I do this.”

“A stem cell donation is a gift of life; it’s such a valuable gift to give to anyone.”

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According to Anthony Nolan, only 100 to 150 people in the UK are diagnosed with aplastic anemia each year.

A successful transplant introduces healthy stem cells into Amilah’s bloodstream to help her body grow and produce new blood cells.

Finding a donor will give Amilah – whose name means “hope” in Arabic – “a second chance at life,” added Yasmin Sheikh, head of policy and public affairs at Anthony Nolan.