Former gymnast Karla Neckles, 21, is desperately calling for people of mixed race ethnicity to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register following her diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia in January. Karla, from Hainault in Essex, urgently needs a bone marrow transplant, but because individual genetic makeup is so varied, the chance of finding a suitable donor can be slim. Karla’s mother is caucasian and her father is half caucasian and half Grenadan.
Karla said:
“Shortly after the birth of my second child last November I found bruises all over my body, and felt depressed and tired. My GP sent me for a blood test – when they called me back for more tests I knew there was a problem. Being told I had leukaemia was a pretty massive shock. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out – one of my previous partners’ brothers had died of leukaemia, so I really thought I was going to die. I was devastated and very scared.”
There are currently 16,000 people worldwide in need of a bone marrow transplant. Many searches for patients are unsuccessful – a bone marrow donor whose tissue type matches the patient’s could mean the difference between life and death. Most matches are found from within the same ethnic community as the patient; people of mixed race ethnicity are seriously under-represented on the bone marrow register, comprising less than three per cent of the total register members.
Karla continued:
“It all happened quite fast – my mum gave up work to look after my children which really gave me peace of mind.I had chemo and went into remission almost straight away. But after the last course of chemo, the leukaemia came back. To be honest, that was an even bigger shock than being diagnosed in the first place – I’d been doing so well and had no signs at all. Even the doctors were shocked.”
Karla was told in May that her only hope is a bone marrow transplant and is currently in hospital waiting to find a donor. Karla commented:
“I know there aren’t enough people on the register from mixed race backgrounds which is making it really hard for me to find a donor. But if people could find it in their hearts to save someone’s life – joining the register might not just save my life, you might save that of anyone in the world. It’s pretty urgent: the doctors can’t keep me on chemo forever. I really need to find a donor as soon as possible, for me and most of all for my kids. Please join the register.”
Being a donor is easier than most people think. As firefighter, Iain Pompei from Surrey said:
To be honest, when I was first asked, it was a lot to take in and I was a bit nervous about it. But then I was excited – it felt really good to be asked and my friends and family all thought it was a great idea. The actual process was incredibly easy. I had a couple of injections in the run up to the donation. Then the Anthony Nolan Trust paid for me and my fiancee to stay in a lovely hotel near the hospital. Donating was a bit like giving blood, just over a longer period of time.Everyone was saying how amazing it was that I was doing it, but my fiancee and I did the seating plan for our wedding whilst I was donating – I felt like a bit of a fraud with all the support I got for doing it!”
For more information about joining the register, please click here.
For information on forthcoming London registration sessions please click here.
