Our choir saved me after my wonderful little boy died. We all share the same pain... we sing from our souls
BGT HOPEFULS PERFORM TO SAVE LIVES
THE B Positive Choir moved Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden to tears and the audience to its feet. But for many of those in the group, it means even more.
For Simonne Kerr, the group has provided solace, therapy and a way to cope with heartbreak.
She lost her six-year-old son Kavele to complications from sickle cell disease three years ago. Shock and grief meant she barely left home for 12 months.
But within the choir, which sings to raise awareness of the disease and to encourage blood donations, she found comfort and camaraderie which helped her through a tragic time.
Simonne says: “When I’m with the choir, I look either side of me and see new friends who have been affected by the same disease which took Kavele.
“They know the physical and emotional pain of it. We support each other and there’s a real family vibe. When we sing, we don’t just rattle through a song. We sing with real feeling that comes from the bottom of our souls.”
They are expected to be one of the standout acts tonight and the emotion of their earlier performance resonated with the audience and the BGT judges.
Alesha Dixon called it “soulful, honest and authentic”. David Walliams hailed it as “inspiring”.
And Simon Cowell said: “I didn’t think it was great. I thought it was amazing.”
Amanda Holden praised the choir’s important message and said: “Blood donors saved my life and they’re the reason I’m still a mummy to two girls.” S imonne was so stunned at the judges’ reactions, she burst into tears as soon as she came off stage. And hearing that in response to B Positive’s performance, NHS Blood and Transplant received more than 5,000 new blood donor registrations has made her even happier.
The 31-year-old discovered she was a sickle cell disease carrier during a routine 12-week pregnancy scan and Kavele was diagnosed at only five days old after a heel-prick test.
Sickle cell disease is a serious and lifelong condition. People with the condition produce unusually shaped red blood cells that don’t live as long as healthy blood cells and can become stuck in blood vessels. Painful episodes called sickle cell crises can be severe, last up to a week and lead to serious infections such as sepsis, delayed growth, strokes and lung problems. Kavele was in hospital once or twice a year for up to three days a time, but was generally well and lived a normal, active life.
Simonne says: “Kavele was such a lively little boy. He enjoyed dancing, loved school and was so affectionate, he’d go up to strangers for a hug.
“He had an amazing, cheeky smile and everyone always said he was really polite.
“Even as a tiny baby, he didn’t cry much and I could take him anywhere. He was my world. He was just awesome.”
Kavele achieved school awards for
excellent behaviour, spelling and reading. He was still keen to go to school on the morning of October 1, 2015, despite waking in obvious pain.
Simonne says: “Kavele woke at 5am with a high temperature and was vomiting. I gave him his medication and although his temperature came down for a while, it spiked again after a few hours. By the afternoon, I called an ambulance and told the operator he had sickle cell. “When no ambulance arrived after 45 minutes, I called again and waited over 30 minutes. By then, Kavele was lethargic.
“A responder arrived but she realised Kavele was very poorly and his breathing became laboured. Within minutes, 10 ambulance crews had arrived. Around 20 minutes later, Kavele went into cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital, where they tried to give him blood. But it was too late. I was with him when he passed away.”
Kavele’s condition made him more vulnerable to sepsis, which claimed his life.
The depth of Simonne’s grief left her unable to leave home in Wembley, North West London, for almost a year. But as soon as she heard about the choir, she signed up.
“I didn’t really talk to anyone about losing Kavele. But after around 12 months, I decided I had to get out. B Positive was the perfect place for me and I felt comfortable opening up to people there because they completely understood. Singing has been so uplifting for me. The words of our audition song Rise Up felt like my personal journey through grief.”
Simonne, who split from her son’s dad when he was young, was studying to be a nurse when Kavele died.
She put her studies on hold for a year, then decided she wanted to be a haematology nurse helping people with similar blood conditions. Simonne qualified in January and is now a staff nurse in haematology and oncology at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, Central London.
She says: “For sickle cell patients, blood transfusions make the difference between being very ill to living a normal life. Often the best matched blood comes from people of the same ethnic heritage, so as sickle cell disease is most prevalent in black people, it’s vital black people give blood. It’s also important for more young people to give blood, so stocks for the future can meet demand.”
Simonne says: “Hopefully everyone will enjoy listening to our performance and hear our message. It’ll be nerve-racking to stand in front of the judges and that huge audience again.
“So, before I got on stage and every moment while I sing, I will think of Kavele, happy, dancing and smiling.”
BGT live shows start at 7.30pm on ITV, with results at 9.30pm.
Before I go on stage and when I sing, I will think of Kavele SIMONNE KERR ON HER BGT PERFORMANCE
THE healing power of song is heard in the B Positive Choir, wowing audiences and judges on Britain’s Got Talent.
Mum Simonne Kerr using music to raise awareness of a sickle cell disease which killed her son Kavele hits all the right notes.