Spotlight on cancer
Event to highlight need for more research into leukaemia
YOUNG Light the Night organiser Jade Daly, inspired by her aunty Allison’s battle with leukaemia, is preparing to shine a spotlight on the need for further blood cancer research.
Ocean Grove mum Allison Daly, who first shared her story with the Geelong Advertiser in April, has recently undergone a stem cell transplant to help fight the myelofibrosis, which leads to progressive bone marrow failure over time.
A worldwide search of some 30 million donors failed to find a perfect bone marrow match so Ms Daly pushed forward with a stem cell transplant from her mum Sandra, who was the closest match of her immediate family at 50 per cent.
Without a donor, Ms Daly was told she had fewer than four years to live but the risks associated with the low match percentage meant the procedure was only done as a last resort.
Now, early signs indicate the transplant was a success.
“There was a few ups and downs along the way but I found out on Monday, plus 19 days (since surgery) that I’ve finally got neutrophils and white blood cells,” Ms Daly said.
“That is what they look for in a successful transplant anywhere from day 17 to day 23 (post surgery).
“I’ve got 0.2 and they’re expecting that to rise and I maybe will be out of hospital by the end of the week.”
Myelofibrosis affects about one in 100,000 people and can occur at any age, but most commonly occurs between the ages of 60 and 70, making Ms Daly’s diagnosis particularly notable.
On Friday, September 22, Ms Daly’s niece Jade will celebrate her 18th birthday by helping to bring Geelong’s Light the Night event to life.
“Jade has been fantastic, she has put her heart and soul into organising Light the Night not just for me but because she knows how much it helps people,” Ms Daly said.
The Drysdale teen, an event management student at The Gordon, has been helping to organise the local Leukaemia Foundation fundraiser, which is now in its 10th year nationally.
The event will be held at Steampacket Gardens from 4.30pm-8pm and include a lantern raising ceremony as well as a barbecue, bake sale, raffle, kids activities and live music.
“My aunty is going through myelofibrosis, so that was my motivation to do this event really well, so I volunteered,” Jade said.
“We’re aiming to have about 500 people there but we’ve got 1200 interested in attending via the Facebook page, so hopefully we will get more than that.
“It brings the Australian blood cancer community together so it’s a really moving event and it makes the community aware of what the Leukaemia Foundation does.”