Baby James Read needs you

The thought of losing a child may be one of the most dreadful thoughts for any parent.

Take a moment to put yourself in the position of a mother, or father, whose child has been diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. What or who do you turn to?

James Read is is only 22-months-old.

He is one of many young children in South Africa with leukaemia who can be cured, but requires a bone marrow stem cell transplant.

James was recently diagnosed with Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia, which is incredibly rare, and can only be cured with a transplant.

James’s parents, along with the Sunflower Fund, are appealing to all individuals to undergo a “quick and easy” test to see if they are an eligible donor.

“While a bone marrow stem cell transplant may sound like a painful procedure, it is a simple case of donating some of your blood. Blood is taken from your arm, the bone marrow stem cells are separated and collected from the donated blood, and the filtered blood is then returned into your body through the other arm,” according to Cara Giraudeau of Olivia Jones communications.

To see if you can help give James Read a lifesaving bone marrow stem cell transplant, you can register with the Sunflower Fund or call 0800 12 10 82. The necessary registration steps are on the fund’s website.

“We are looking nationally and internationally, because he doesn’t have very long – that’s why we are working hard to get him a donor as soon as possible,” said Dr Nicky Bax who works very close with baby James.

“Only 10ml of blood which is about a table spoon will be taken to see if the potential donor is a match,” she said.

“Even if potential donors are not a match for baby James, they may donate for other people who are on the list – or stay on the list in case someone ever needs help.”

There will be testing days at Heronbridge Church on 3 August, and at Gracepoint Church in Johannesburg on 10 August.

“Currently, there are only 65,000 bone marrow stem cell donors in SA, and the country is in desperate need of more, not only for James, but for the many potential recipients who can’t find a match. Compared to many other countries, South Africa has a terribly low donor rate,” said Giraudeau.

For residents who can¹t donate blood, the Sunflower Fund gladly accepts cash donations to fund its testing procedures.