Hello!

We are Fran, Vicky, Foday, Lucie and Jack and we are walking The Aplastic Anaemic Trust’s 10km Windsor Walk on 1st October.

This might be something that you have not heard of, and to be honest, neither had we until my (Fran’s) boyfriend was diagnosed with this, earlier in the year. It is so very rare that it took nearly 6 months of tests and stays in hospital because even the specialists were unsure of what was happening to him.

Finally, he was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia which is a rare and life-threatening blood disorder caused by the bone marrow not functioning properly. His bone marrow is failing to produce enough blood cells.

Treatment can vary, but usually results in the need for a bone marrow transplant. My (Fran’s) boyfriend is scheduled to have this transplant in the middle of September, which has been delayed due to Covid.

We want to raise awareness for this condition in the hope that you might be encouraged to sign up to the bone marrow registers below. Most people can do this and it only takes a mouth swab to be added to the register. You never know, you could be called up and save a life!

https://www.anthonynolan.org/help-save-a-life/join-stem-cell-register if you’re 16-30 years old

https://www.dkms.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-donor if you’re 18-55 years old

Of course we would love for you to sponsor us because it all really makes a difference to allow researchers to undertake vital studies into what causes this medical condition.

The greatest gift you could give somebody is life, so even if you can’t sponsor us, it would be amazing if you could sign up to the bone marrow register please.

Thank you,
Fran, Vicky, Foday, Lucie and Jack

Francesca Hanley