Jasper’s 4,000 mile trip for op
Mirror helps send lad, 10, on transplant mission
A LITTLE boy is about to set off on an epic 4,000-mile journey for a potentially life-saving transplant, thanks to the Mirror.
Jasper Makungu, 10, is due to travel from his home in Zambia this week to a clinic in India after we teamed up with blood cancer charity DKMS.
Jasper has sickle cell disease, which requires a stem cell transplant to give him a second chance of a healthy life.
He suffered a painful episode at Christmas but his dad Jackson says his son has rallied. “He should be going to India now he is better,” Jackson said.
Jasper’s story began in Kabwe, his hometown identified as the most toxic on earth, in September 2022. We met with Jackson, 46, on a disused lead mine where he was digging for the metal which he sells to feed his family.
He told us of his son’s life-threatening illness and the tragic loss of firstborn son Jackson Jr to the disease aged just five.
The Mirror contacted DKMS and tests were carried out on Jasper’s sisters Ruby, five, and Mercy, 16, who is a perfect match.
Jasper will travel with her and his mum Carol, 41, to Bangalore for the transplant. Caroline Richardson, DKMS head of fundraising in the UK, said: “The more people who register as blood stem cell donors, the better the chance of finding a match.”
Only 3% of the UK’s population are registered. A tiny proportion are from minority ethnic communities. Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that clogs blood vessels and damages organs.
The only long-term treatment is a bone marrow transplant.
Deborah Hyde, of DKMS UK, said joining its register is easy if you are aged 17 to 55 and in reasonably good health.
■ Register or donate at dkms.org.uk
WHEN he was 11 years old, Harry Johnson witnessed the fabulous care NHS medics gave to his family as his little brother Max went through heart transplant surgery.
They saved Max’s life, for which he will be forever grateful, but the way the medical team looked after him and his parents also impressed Harry.
He said: “They were really able to make us all feel better and safe in their care, which I thought was fantastic. They were so professional. It was just impressive to witness that first hand.”
It left such an impression, that Harry decided on a career in medicine.
Now 18 and in his first year at university, Harry said: “When he was in hospital, I saw the doctors taking care of Max and that stuck with me.
“It was always at the back of my mind when it came to my future career. I looked back at Max in hospital, and that is what made me choose medicine.”
Max was nine years old in 2017 when he had his heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Harry has returned to the city to study medicine at Newcastle University, and says that after his first hospital visit as part of his studies, he thought: “I have made the right choice.”
He spoke of his dream job as Max celebrated his 16th birthday.
Max said his birthday made him reflect on the “incredible” gift of life he was given by the family of his
heart donor Keira Ball. Nine-year-old Keira was killed in a car crash that left her mum Loanna seriously injured. It was left to dad Joe Ball, of Barnstaple, Devon, his to make daughter’s the decision organs. to donate
Max said: “If it were not for Keira and what her family did, I would not be here. It is just incredible.
“My 16th birthday feels like when a milestone, I first fell ill. I was It is eight a miracle that we found the donor family, it is quite astonishing. It is really nice that we are still in touch and have a good relationship.” Max is eyeing a career in construction, and joked that he could soon be as tall as his brother. He said: “I have to keep growing and beat him.”
Their parents Emma, 53, and Paul, 50, from Winsford, Cheshire, still campaign for organ donation.
The opt-out organ donor legislation passed in 2020 in England was named Max and Keira’s Law following a five-year Mirror crusade. It means people are considered to be potential donors unless they have opted out.
Relatives are always consulted first on any donation. It is hoped that it will lead to 700 extra transplants each year.
The Department of Health said the new law would “save or transform countless lives in the future”.
■ For more information, go to organdonation.nhs.uk
When he was in hospital I saw the doctors taking care of Max and that stuck with me
HARRY JOHNSON ON DECIDING ON A CAREER IN MEDICINE