Teenager's race to find bone marrow donor

A teenage girl faces a race against time to find a bone marrow donor to provide the lifesaving transplant she desperately needs to beat leukaemia.

Doctors have told Emily Pierce, 18, she desperately needs a bone marrow transplant if she is to stand a chance of survival.

Student Emily, a fitness fanatic and holder of a karate black belt, was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukaemia in September after experiencing chest pain she mistook for a pulled muscle.

Now, her family is appealing for people to attend a session specially set up by The Anthony Nolan Trust to join the charity's bone marrow register in the hunt for her potential lifesaver.

Emily was last night too ill to be interviewed by the Mail after "complications" caused by her second course of chemotherapy, but she was able to pass a heart-rendering plea to her mother Joanne Pierce, 41, who lives with her daughter in Skidby.

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

Anyone who would like to help Emily, as well as others, are invited to the session at Cottingham Parks Golf and Leisure Club in Woodhill Way, Cottingham, from 4pm to 8pm on Tuesday, December 8.

To read Emily's story see Saturday's Mail.