#HOPEFORHARRYMAN
MERCHISTON BLOOD DRIVE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER PATIENTS
The community is rallying for the #HopeForHarryMan campaign for four-year-old Harry O’Mullane who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) last month.
Little Harry is in desperate need of O-negative blood, of which there is currently a shortage.
Only three weeks ago, Harry was a normal happy, active four-year-old who loved the outdoors and spent his days riding tractors around his farm.
This changed overnight last month when Harry was rushed to Hilton Life Hospital in excruciating pain. After running tests, Harry was diagnosed with ALL and has not left the hospital since.
His mother, Sarah-Faye O’Mullane, said while the family was still processing the news, they were faced with the reality of the dire national blood shortage as Harry requires regular blood transfusions. The blood shortage affects Harry more so because his blood type, O-negative, enables him to give blood to all blood types, but only receive O-Neg blood.
“Before this happened to us, when we saw calls for blood donors we didn’t take it that seriously, but now we’re in this situation and we experience the seriousness of it. Harry will needs quite a few blood transfusions over the coming months for both platelets and blood,” said O’Mullane.
She decided to put a post on Facebook calling for blood donors and was amazed when it went viral, with the #HopeForHarryMan campaign spreading over the province. Merchiston Preparatory, where O’Mullane’s sister Amy Leigh Johnson works, has organised a blood drive at the school next Wednesday, October 20.
“We don’t want the drive to be focused just on collecting O-Neg blood, but rather to raise awareness around blood and stem cell donors in general,” said O’Mullane.
“At this stage we don’t know if Harry will need a bone marrow transplant, but the doctors have been communicating the possibility of this and we would also like to raise awareness around bone marrow transplants and how anyone interested can become donors.”
Harry has undergone his second chemo treatment of his induction phase chemotherapy, which comprises 33 days of intensive chemotherapy.
“It’s a long journey filled with uncertainty, but we have hope. Harry has been so brave and is taking it so well. Of course he has bad days; I think the hardest is being isolated in a room after his farm life and being outdoors all the time. But he is so resilient.”
She said she is overwhelmed at the support of the community. “People have been amazing. The kindness we’ve experienced, even from strangers, has been heart-warming. Someone even phoned the hospital to find out how to donate blood. Since Harry’s campaign, there is now a blood drive being held in Ballito.”
Pay it forward and donate blood to save a life at Merchiston Preparatory next Wednesday, October 20 from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. SANBS will also be there to assist anyone with more information about becoming a stem cell or bone marrow donor, and how to sign up. Pull through if you are eligible to donate blood, and especially if you are O-negative blood type. The drive is not just for Harry, but for all children fighting cancer in hospital.