OUR HERO ..MY HERO
Bone marrow girl Ava in final for award after being nominated by the Record
A LITTLE girl whose worldwide appeal for a bone marrow donor touched the hearts of thousands is in the running for an award.
Four-year-old Ava Stark is a finalist in the Jack Petchey Young Hero of the Year award, which honours the contribution of young people to stem cell donation.
She was nominated for the prize by the Daily Record in recognition of her courage.
Ava will find out if she’s won when she travels to the House of Commons next month for the Anthony Nolan Supporters Awards.
The youngster, of Lochgelly, Fife, was diagnosed with inherited bone marrow failure last year and she had to rely on blood and platelet transfusions to keep her alive.
A hunt was launched to find a stem cell donor and a match was found. But Ava and her family were heartbroken when the would-be donor pulled out.
A second donor was found but medical complications meant they also had to abandon the donation just 24 hours before the procedure was due to go ahead.
Ava’s story resulted in more than 20,000 people registering to become donors through Anthony Nolan. Thousands of others signed up through blood cancer charity DKMS.
She finally underwent a transplant on November 25 and is recovering well.
Speaking about the transplant, Ava’s mum Marie, 34, said: “She slept all the way through it. When she woke up, she asked, ‘Has my hero been?’
“Now, whenever we are out shopping or in the town, she points at people and says to me, ‘He could be my hero’.”
Anthony Nolan launched the search for Ava’s donor. The appeal was boosted when Marie went public and pleaded for people to sign up.
Two people who joined the donor register following Ava’s story have gone on to donate stem cells to others.
Henny Braund, chief executive at Anthony Nolan, said, “By sharing her story, Ava’s family have inspired many to sign up to our register to give more patients hope for a second chance of life.” ●Visit anthonynolan.org/join to find out about becoming a donor.
When Ava woke up after the transplant, she asked, ‘Has my hero been?’ MUM MARIE
A SCOTS schoolboy has travelled to the States to meet the bone marrow donor who saved his life.
Rory Kemp, 13, came face to face with Christopher Mattson, 28, in New York.
And the first thing that the schoolboy’s family did was to thank the Pennsylvania man for the gift of life.
Rory’s mum Jenny said: “I feel delighted to have met this wonderful man who has given Rory a second chance of life.
“I thought I would feel tearful but I just felt happy and so lucky that someone we have never met gave my son such an amazing gift.
“I want to tell everyone we meet that this man saved my son. I think he should shout it from the rooftops.”
Rory, of Edinburgh, was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer – acute myeloid leukaemia – in February 2014. He was told his best chance of a cure would be to find a stem cell donor and have chemotherapy to kill off the diseased cells.
The Anthony Nolan charity launched a worldwide search to find a donor.
Christopher, who had signed up to the Gift of Life stem cell register in America on a whim, was found to be a match.
Rory had the transplant at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow just days before Christmas 2014.
Jenny said: “It’s hard to put into words our gratitude. Stem cell donors can change everything and we are so grateful to them and the charities who find them.
“They gave us the the gift of hearing those vital words, ‘There is no evidence of disease.’ That is something worth more than every diamond in every jeweller in Manhattan.”
Christopher said: “I acted on impulse when I stopped by a Gift of Life swabbing table and I’m so glad that I did.”
Jenny said of Christopher: “He looks so healthy and well. It’s wonderful to think his cells are what gave Rory this new start.
“Our trip to New York to meet Rory’s donor was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We feel very lucky to have met Chris in such an iconic location and to have been able to thank him in person for saving our son.”
I want to tell everyone we meet that this man saved my son MUM JENNY