Fight of her life
GIRL WITH RARE FORM OF BLOOD CANCER URGENTLY NEEDS STEM CELL DONOR
The strength of our little girl is inspiring and our friends and family have been a great source of strength
Ruchit Patel
AN urgent campaign to find a stem cell donor is under way to save the life of a five-year-old girl who may only have weeks left to live.
Kaiya Patel has a very rare and aggressive form of blood cancer which could kill her in just weeks if it goes untreated.
Unfortunately her treatment requires finding a stem cell donor, an already tricky process which is complicated by the lack of Asian donors available in the UK who might match with her.
None of the Northwood girl’s family are a match.
Kaiya was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia after her parents spotted some bruising to her legs and bleeding gums. Around 650 people are diagnosed with the potentially fatal condition in the UK every year, half of them children.
Treatment requires stem cells to be donated to the patient, but until then Kaiya, who enjoys gymnastics, running and ballet, is being treated with chemotherapy and steroids.
Kaiya’s disease compromises her immune system and clotting functions.
Kaiya’s father, Ruchit Patel, said: “I was devastated when Kaiya was diagnosed. It’s heartbreaking, a huge punch in the gut. The strength of our little girl is inspiring and our friends and family have been a great source of strength.”
Since her diagnosis in March, Kaiya’s parents Ruchit and Annu, have been working tirelessly to find her a donor. They have been working with stem cell donation charities DKMS and Anthony Nolan to find someone who can donate to Kaiya.
Now Harrow Council has stepped in, running a swab test day yesterday (Tuesday), to help identify potential donors in order to save the little girl’s life. Earlier in the week, Simon Brown, Harrow Council’s portfolio holder for adults and public health, said: “Whether you live, work or pass through Harrow, please spare a few minutes on Tuesday to come to the Civic Centre to help try to save brave Kaiya and others in a similar situation. “Anything we can do to help raise awareness of blood cancers in important – but this time a little girl’s life depends on it.”