A partner in the London office of Ropes & Gray has launched an urgent appeal to find a bone marrow transplant to save his five-year-old daughter.
Ruchit Patel recently learned that his daughter, Kaiya, has a rare form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It is extremely aggressive, and Kaiya’s best hope is an immediate bone marrow transplant.
Patel and his family have set up the Cure Kaiya campaign to help locate a donor. As well as manning a stall in Canary Wharf and setting up stands in shops, they have been posting updates on social media. Here's an extract from last week's facebook post:
"Kaiya has been dealing with the chemo okay this week- she is a very strong girl but the drugs and procedures still take their toll. Her drugs mean that she suffers from nightmares and has been crying inconsolably in the middle of the night. The hair loss and weight gain means she’s developed a complex about the way she looks. She asks us why none of this is happening to her friends and only her. It’s a difficult question to answer.
Kaiya misses her friends and longs for normality - to spend a full day at school (she realised staying at home is not as fun as school!), to have the energy she used to have to dance and run. She wishes she could go swimming with her sister and cousins. And wants to go down the slide in the playground".
The Patels. |
Patel needs people to register with DKMS, a nonprofit which can help identify matching donors for Kaiya, as well as other people suffering from blood cancer. Joiners who meet the age and health requirements will receive a kit in the mail which they use to swab their cheeks, and then return to DKMS. There is a 1% chance of matching up with a patient. You can register here.
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If you're a match then 90% of the time a donation is just stem cells. It's like giving blood (although it takes longer) and there's no surgery involved. You sit in a chair for a few hours and you literally save a child's life.
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Best wishes to Ruchit and his family.
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I have just registered and will do the swab test and return it as soon as possible after receipt. Ruchit if you are reading this, I would like to extend my very best wishes and am praying for a positive outcome for you and your family x
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