Mothers launch drive to gather blood in tribute to children’s care

Two mothers have launched a bid to collect blood donations in tribute to the care their daughters have received as they fight leukaemia.

Charlene Abbott and Faye Shilcock’s daughters are both receiving treatment for the illness, which requires them to receive regular blood transfusions.

Faye’s eight-year-old Summer-Rose has had 17 transfusions and Charlene’s daughter Brooke, four, has had four.

Both are in the maintenance phase of their treatment cycles, meaning they receive oral chemotherapy on a daily basis at home and a larger dose once a month at hospital.

The two mothers have now pledged to donate the same amount of blood their daughters have had through transfusions.

The pair met and became friends while their daughters were receiving treatment.

They say their children could be dead if it wasn’t for other people donating.

Charlene, 30, from Inchture, said she took her daughter to A&E on a Sunday afternoon and within a few hours she was told she had leukaemia.

“My heart was shattered,” she said. “I had no idea how important donations are until Brooke was diagnosed. If you give blood then you are saving lives.”

Faye, 32, from Charleston, added: “When they get a transfusion, you see the colour coming back to them and their energy coming back.”

The pair also want to raise awareness of the importance of people donating platelets, the cells that allow blood to clot.

Visit scotblood.co.uk for more information.