The family of a young Highland girl, who has been diagnosed with a very rare cancer, are urgently looking for bone marrow donors.
Chloe Purvis, a nine-year-old pupil from Fort William, has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and urgently needs a transplant.
Since December, Chloe has been with medical specialists in Fort William, Inverness, Aberdeen and Glasgow.
And she has astonished staff with her exceptionally strong and cheerful disposition while suffering from such a debilitating cancer.
Her mother, Sarah, father, Lea, a bus driver with Shiel Buses, and three sisters, Islay, four, and two-year-old twins Charlotte and Elsie, have had their world turned upside down since her doctor’s appointment last month.
Mrs Purvis said: “Chloe is amazing. It is her strength that is getting us all through it.
“For someone living with cancer, until she went into hospital she complained only once of being tired and not keeping up with her school chums.”
Ahead of a week-long intensive course of chemotherapy, it has been a worrying time for the family.
A number of conditions were initially suggested – but a prolonged low blood platelet count, countless scans and observations of the youngster’s condition confirmed she urgently needs a bone marrow transplant.
Mrs Purvis added: “Everyone in our family was tested and sadly no one is a match for Chloe.
“Doctors have told us that there are four potential matches on the register.
“We are hoping that one of those will be willing and suitable to help Chloe. It is very rare for a child of her age to get this condition – so very few people have come across it.
“I cannot praise highly enough the support we have had from Clic Sargent who have helped us every step of the way, or Shiel Buses who have supported Lea.
“You don’t hear about the Anthony Nolan Trust enough – or that people can sign up to become a bone marrow donor.
>> Donate towards Chloe’s transplant here <<
“If the unthinkable happens and one of these matches does not work out, I don’t know what we will do.
“I would encourage everyone who can, to sign up to help normal families like us, who are up against exceptional circumstances.”
A fundraising campaign through Chloe’s school has been set up, as well as an online campaign and has already raised £725 towards a transplant.