Teen Kelly Chadwick In The Race Of Her Life
Kelly Chadwick, 15, is a hugely promising sprinter and long-jumper for Sale Harriers who recently won a medal at the prestigious English Schools Championships.
But her joy at track success was rocked when she found out in April that she was suffering with Leukaemia and she has had to put her training on hold while she fights for her life, recently completing her third round of chemotherapy at Liverpool's prestigious Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Kelly's mixed heritage means she is three time less likely to find a donor than others, as her mother is black British and her father is white British.
Kelly came down with a chest infection and was feeling very sick after food. The doctor told us it was just a stomach bug. But then she started sleeping in the afternoons and was even too fatigued to go training - that just wasn't like her. One day she just walked out of the lounge and collapsed. I took her straight into hospital and after doing some tests they told us the news; she had acute myeloid leukaemia. When they said they needed to take her to the teenage unit at Alder Hey right away, that's when it hit home. It was hard to accept that she had cancer because she is so fit. She loves to eat healthily, but now they've told her she needs to get her weight up so she's eating McDonalds and KFC, which feels quite ironic. She's also still trying to do whatever exercise she can in between chemotherapy sessions. The good news is that we've been told that her fitness will make it easier for her to cope with the treatment." Until now, I had no idea about the lack of donors from mixed race backgrounds. I'd heard there were millions of donors on the worldwide registers so assumed we would be fine, but the pool of potential donors from black, Asian and mixed race backgrounds is actually very small. Kelly's life is on the line and we just want to do everything we can to encourage young people from these backgrounds to join the register." - KELLY'S DAD PHIL
While Phil is a 6/10 match and Kelly's mother, Jen Johnson is a 5/10, they are hoping and praying that a total match can be found from donors on the stem cell register, worldwide.
Joining the stem cell register is quick and easy and could save a life! Please register today.
You can sign up with Anthony Nolan if you are between the ages of 16-30 at www.anthonynolan.org/africancaribbean
Alternatively, register with the Delete Blood Cancer UK stem cell register. Age range to join the DBC UK register is 17 to 55 years. http://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/en
Visit www.aclt.org to get further info. or call ACLT office on office tel no. 020 3757 7700