Mum's plea for bone marrow donors

THE mother of an East Riding teenage girl with leukaemia who needs a bone marrow transplant has made a desperate plea for potential life-savers to come forward.

Doctors have told Emily Pierce, 18, a student at Bishop Burton College, she desperately needs a transplant.

Emily, previously fit and healthy, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in September after mistaking chest pain for a pulled muscle.

Now, The Anthony Nolan Trust is rallying her friends – and others who want to help – to attend a session aimed at finding a bone marrow match.

For five weeks, her mother Joanne has kept a vigil at her daughter's bed in Ward 33 of Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.

It follows "complications" caused by a second cycle of gruelling chemotherapy.

She only returns to their Skidby home to grab a few hours sleep and fresh clothes before returning to the daughter she calls her best friend.

Exhausted but undeterred, the 41-year-old receptionist said: "Emily does not allow herself to think about what might happen. And neither do I. We are entirely focused on what needs doing each day.

"I have not asked the doctors what her long-term prognosis is. Neither has Emily. Point blank, it is something we are not even considering.

"All we know is she desperately needs a bone marrow transplant."

Emily was yesterday too poorly to be interviewed by the Mail, but the teenager was able to pass a message to her mother.

"The most important thing is to raise awareness," said Emily. "It's not just about saving me. People need to know about the register."

Anyone wanting to help Emily, along with others like her, are invited to attend a session being held next month.

In response to Emily's plight, The Anthony Nolan Trust has organised the session to find bone marrow donors for Tuesday, December 8.

It will be held from 4pm to 8pm at Cottingham Parks Golf and Leisure Club in Woodhill Way, Cottingham.

To join the register, you must be between 18 and 40, be in good health, weigh more than eight stone (51kg) and be willing to donate to any matching patient in the world.

At the clinic, a saliva sample is taken, which will be sent to The Anthony Nolan Trust's laboratories to be tissue-typed, then stored on the charity's confidential database.

"We are anxious that this does not come across as a guilt trip," explained Miss Pierce. "Yes, it is possible someone may be a match for Emily. But all we ask is for people to visit this session and find out a bit more about donating bone marrow. It is not as complicated as it once was."