A BASINGSTOKE mum is urging the community to join the stem cell registry at an event after her 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Taruna J Kundra, 42, is working with blood cancer charity DKMS to encourage more people to join its stem cell register, after her daughter Zara was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2019.
First diagnosed at the age of six, Zara has experienced this relentless disease for more than half her life.
She faced a brutal relapse in 2022 at the age of nine. With time running out, a stem cell transplant was Zara’s best chance at survival.
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Her family and friends have now joined forces with DKMS to organise a special stem cell donor registration event to save many more children like Zara.
The event will be held at Fairfield School in Basingstoke from 9am to 1pm on Sunday, June 30.
Anyone aged 17 to 55 who is in general good health can sign up to receive a simple mouth swab kit that potential donors can do at home and send back to DKMS for processing.
“By registering as a potential stem cell donor, you could be giving someone like my daughter Zara the second chance at life that they urgently need,” said Taruna.
“Zara is here with us because someone was able to save Zara and we would like to appeal to Basingstoke community to come together to attend this event, registration doesn’t take long but your support could make all the difference. By joining the DKMS stem cell register, you could be the missing link that offers hope to Others like Zara in need.”
DKMS holds the UK’s largest stem cell register, with more than one million active registered donors, but there’s still a long way to go to meet the demand for potentially lifesaving stem cell donors.
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DKMS spokesperson Deborah Hyde said: “Sadly only three in 10 UK patients needing a stem cell transplant will find a match within their family. Of those patients seeking a match with an altruistic stranger, four out of 10 are unable to find a match.
"Patients from ethnic minority backgrounds face particular difficulties in finding their match as donors from these communities are underrepresented on the national register. This means every year thousands of people in the UK rely on a generous stranger registering as a stem cell donor with DKMS to give them a second chance at life."
If you are unable to attend this registration drive event, you can still order a free mouth swab kit online at dkms.org.uk/register.
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