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There’s nothing more five-year old Oscar Saxelby-Lee likes more than running around, getting muddy and playing football outdoors. But Oscar has spent a significant amount of time indoors at hospital because he needs a lifesaving stem cell transplant. 

Oscar, who recently celebrated his fifth birthday, was diagnosed with T- cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in December 2018. He is currently being treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital with regular blood transfusions. 

A mother from Fort William is calling for more people to sign up as potential stem cell donors, after her daughter was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer and told she urgently needs a stem cell transplant. 

Chloe Purvis, who is just nine years old, was diagnosed with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome), a rare type of blood cancer, at the end of last year. The average age for someone to be diagnosed with MDS is 75 years old, so it’s extremely unusual for a child to receive this diagnosis.

Actor Olivia Colman, Patron of blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, has revealed the story behind her support for the organisation. 

In a new film released on World Cancer Day (4th February) Olivia shares her ‘Anthony Nolan Story’ which began after the charity found a stem cell donor for one of her close friends, named Pip.

In the film Olivia reveals:

Anthony Nolan’s chief executive, Henny Braund, has made the following statement in response to the news of Kaiya Patel’s death:

‘We are all deeply saddened to hear the news that Kaiya, whose family set up the ‘Cure Kaiya’ campaign, passed away on Sunday. Her death at such a young age is simply a tragedy.

‘Kaiya’s inspiring family and their incredible work signing up thousands of potential stem cell donors from diverse backgrounds, has created a lifesaving legacy in Kaiya’s name, that will continue to give people a second chance of life for many years to come.