Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Tesco to ban mermaid top in racism row
HIS name means “brave” in Hindi. And for four year-old Veer Gudhka that couldn’t be more appropriate.
For while the bubbly little boy might look fighting fit, he actually has just months to live.
Veer suffers from a rare blood disorder called Fanconi anaemia, which results in a decreased production of all types of blood cells.
But a stem cell donor will save his life. In a heartfelt video message, the plucky toddler asks Sunday Mirror readers: “Please be my life-saver? Will you be my superhero?”
And today his family are appealing to those from BAME communities to help by signing up to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register.
Mum Kirpa and dad Nirav know the odds are stacked against them getting that all-important call – because they are of Indian descent.
While 69 per cent of Northern European patients find the best possible stem cell match from a stranger, this drops to just 20 per cent for those with black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds.
SURVIVAL
Currently only two per cent of the population is on the UK stem cell register. And with Asians making up just six per cent of the UK population, there is a smaller pool of potential donors.
Veer was diagnosed with the blood disorder last August, after he started suffering from extreme fatigue, and was referred for tests.
Doctors said he would need a stem cell transplant within three years for a chance of survival.
They hoped to buy Veer some time by putting him on steroids to boost his blood counts. But his condition has deteriorated fast.
Recent tests at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London show he now has just three to four months to find a donor.
Kirpa and Nirav were both tested, along with Veer’s six-year-old sister Suhani, but none of them were a match.
A search on the global stem cell register also drew a blank.
And his dad has been trying to encourage his fellow countrymen and women in India to join the register.
They have even signed up a female battalion of the Indian Army.
Kirpa, 37, from Harrow,
Little Veer in hospital
London, said: “We just feel so scared we’re going to lose our cheeky, amazing little boy. To look at Veer you wouldn’t know he’s critically ill.
“Like his name, he’s been brave from the start. He’s undergone countless tests and hospital visits but has had a constant smile on his face. He knows he needs a ‘superhero’ to step forward, but his optimism and enthusiasm are infectious and keep us all going.”
She added: “Going on the register is incredibly quick and donating cells if you match someone in need is painless.”
You can join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register today.
Nine out of 10 people donate their stem cells through the bloodstream in a simple IV process called peripheral blood stem cell collection.
One in 10 will have their stem cells collected via the bone marrow itself, while under general anaesthetic. Doctors transplant the new, healthy cells via the patient’s bloodstream, where they begin to grow and create healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
A perfect match from a donor can mean a lifelong cure.
Veer’s dad Nirav, 40, said: “I only learned about the Anthony Nolan stem cell register two years ago – and even then I assumed it would involve long and painful procedures.
“We need to raise awareness to save lives in every community.” If you’re aged between 16 and 30 and in good health, visit anthonynolan.org/ HelpVeerNow to register. Swabs will be sent to your home. Take two cheek swabs, then send them back – that’s it.
TESCO is to stop stocking a T-shirt after a mum branded it racist.
It shows a black mermaid beside the words: “Her hair is too fluffy.”
Katie Wells saw it when shopping with her two daughters at Tesco in Whitfield, near Dover.
“I was shocked,” she said. “It’s not something any child should read on a T-shirt and it perpetuates a stereotype – it’s racism.
“It makes me so sad and angry that this is how black children grow up.”
The shirt uses a picture from Fiona Watt’s hit book That’s Not My Mermaid.
Tesco said: “Tesco is a place where everybody is welcome and we apologise for any offence caused.
“We will not purchase any more of this product.”
He has undergone countless tests with a constant smile