Selina Niman, 51, a care worker from Lincoln, is urging people to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register after learning that her son’s cancer has returned and he needs a stem cell transplant to survive.
Reece Khan was told on his 16th birthday that the acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) he was diagnosed with aged 11, had returned and spread to his brain. The family are “absolutely broken” after hearing the news of the relapse, Selina said.
Reece started getting headaches in spring 2025, so went into hospital for an MRI scan on 20th April. The next day, the teenager was celebrating his 16th birthday with his family, eating the birthday cake he made with his nana, before he got the news.
Back in March 2020, aged 11, Reece, who loves baking and watching food programmes, was sent home sick from school because teachers realised that he wasn’t being his normal cheeky self.
“We went into Lincoln County Hospital, they did some blood tests and then the consultant took me into a room and broke the news that he had leukaemia,” Selina said.
On 13th March, Reece was taken by ambulance to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham for urgent treatment. Selina recalls Boris Johnson announcing Covid restrictions and a nationwide lockdown days after.
“It was absolutely devastating as a family. It was horrendous. And because it was Covid, we couldn't have any visitors up here,” she said.
Reece had also been diagnosed with type one diabetes when he was seven, which added further complications.
Reece was in and out of hospital for three and a half years, receiving chemotherapy and missing the transition from primary to secondary school.
Despite ringing the end of treatment bell 18 months ago and being told he was cancer free; Reece is now back in hospital. The consultants have warned his family that this time the chemotherapy will be much stronger, and Reece will also need to undergo radiotherapy and ultimately a stem cell transplant. “We've never heard of stem cell transplant before,” Selina said.
The family were also told that Reece has a one in five chance of survival. “He's scared now,” Selina said, but she is urging him to remain positive, “I said, you beat it once, you can beat it again.
“We're just broken as a family. We just don't know what else to do or where to go. Words cannot explain how we feel now. I just want to jump in his hospital bed and swap places with him.”
Reece’s brother Kyle, 25 has been tested to see if he could potentially be a match for his brother. As he is a half match, the Anthony Nolan charity is searching worldwide registers to see if there is a full match to give Reece the best possible chance of his treatment being successful.
Selina said: “Reece is mixed race, white and Asian, and it's harder to find a match.
“That’s why it’s so important that as many people as possible join the stem cell register. Go to the Anthony Nolan website and order a swab. It's just a swab for the inside of your cheek. It's not painful. Stick it back in an envelope and that is all it takes. Literally a minute of your time and it would mean the world to me, to me and Reece.”
Rowena Bentley, head of programme and community recruitment at Anthony Nolan, said: “Reece’s story is especially poignant because he was told about the relapse on his 16th birthday; the date that young people can join the Anthony Nolan register and potentially save a life.
“It’s vital that we raise awareness of stem cell donation and encourage more people to join the register. We know that younger stem cell donors give patients the best chance of survival. That’s why we’re calling on healthy 16–30-year-olds to join the register now, so that people like Reece can have a second chance at life.”