Give blood in memory of my son, says leukaemia victim’s mother
A County Londonderry mum, whose son died last year after a battle against leukaemia, is hoping at least 18 new blood donors will donate before what would have been his 18th birthday on May 7.
Miranda Rogers’s son Ozzie died on September 10, 2020 and miranda has lent her support to the NI Blood Transfusion Service, and said she never realised how many blood transfusions cancer patients need through their treatment until she watched her son go through it.
A session has now been set up at Ozzie’s old school in Magherafelt ahead of what would have been a big family celebration, with Miranda hoping as many people as possible come forward to boost blood supplies in Northern Ireland in memory of her son.
“Ozzie was a normal, active 17-year-old teenager. He loved rock music, especially enjoyed playing his guitar,” said Miranda.
“He was a keen rugby player and I recall one Saturday him saying he’d had been his best game ever.
“But the next morning the glands in his neck were swollen and he had flu-like symptoms,” his mother said.
“And by the Wednesday evening at training he struggled to even warm up.
“He was very tired, pale and taking paracetamol constantly, and while the doctors originally suspected glandular fever, the test came back negative. ozzie was admitted on October 8 to A&E and by the following morning our lives changed forever when we were given the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia.
“The very next day after diagnosis he was in theatre and a central line was put in for his first blood transfusion.”
Chemotherapy started straight away and blood and platelets were an almost daily occurrence.
“Ozzie was in hospital for over 100 days,” said Miranda, “whilst the chemo and targeted drugs killed the leukaemia and his bloods recovered.
“He went on to have a bone marrow transplant in Bristol and again received so many life-saving units of blood and platelets.
“Sadly in April 2020 he relapsed and spent another 12 weeks in hospital needing transfusions.
“Ozzie fought hard but sadly passed away on September 10, 2020.”
His mum said she lost count of the units of blood her son received during his two years of treatment.
“If it hadn’t been for the generosity of so many selfless, generous people he would not have had almost two years of life,” she said. “Myself and my husband now donate regularly as we never realised how much cancer patients rely on blood and platelets through the course of the treatment.”
Miranda is now hoping the community support for Ozzie comes through again, after the support for his fight shown at his rugby club, Rainey Old Boys, where they hosted a stem cell donor day to try to find a match ahead of a potential bone marrow transplant in December 2018.
While that was unsuccessful, two matches were found, one in England and one in America.
Magherafelt High School, where Ozzie had been a pupil, will be the venue for sessions hosted by the Blood Transfusion Service next week.
Sessions run on Tuesday, April 6 from 10.30am-1pm and 2.155.15pm, and on Wednesday from 1-4pn and 5-7.30pm.
All sessions are by appointment only on 08085 534653.