A 25-year-old teaching assistant has called out to her Sri Lankan community to help find a donor after doctors said they “could not do anything” until a stem cell match was found.

Fathima Hilmy, of Ilford, relapsed earlier this year after being originally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2012.

After recovering from her third cycle of chemotherapy she is now waiting to be discharged from hospital to continue the search for a stem cell match.

“The doctors said I need to find a match as soon as possible,” said Miss Hilmy, who has a twin sister although she is not a suitable match.

Miss Hilmy has now been forced to seek a match donor on the blood stem cell registry.

However, she said awareness of how to be put on the UK Stem Cell Registry is relatively low within her community further reducing her chances of finding a donor.

“Some people are really scared to donate because they think an operation is involved,” she added.

“We are asking all of the Sri Lankan community to donate for me.

“Some people understand these things but some people do not.”

Deirdra Taylor, director of communications and donor relations at charity Delete Blood Cancer UK, highlighted the need for people to send in a swab taken from their cheek to place themselves on the register.

She said: “One of the myths surrounding blood stem cell donation is that most people can find a matching donor within their family.

“Most people rely on the generosity of strangers to join the registry, and then to donate some of their blood stem cells if they have a matching tissue type.”
(Ilford Recorder)