Blood cancer charity DKMS has used the Moy Country Fair to encourage people to sign up in the hopes of finding a match for a local three-year-old.
The charity is displaying for the first time at the Moy Country Fair to raise awareness for their cause and specifically to find a stem cell match for a special little girl.
Josie Davidson, who lives in Ross-shire, is three-years-old and suffers from a blood condition which can be treated with stem cells and DKMS is committed to finding her a match.
Her older sister Adeline, who suffers from the same rare and serious congenital disease, has received treatment since last year.
Josie’s story can be found on the DKMS website, where she is described as a “sweet, loving little girl, strong-willed but a free spirit”.
DKMS estimates over 2,000 people are waiting for potentially life-saving stem cell treatment, one of them being Josie.
Since setting up, Chris Bain and Adolf Von Moltke from DKMS have had several people register to the global database and are pleased with the interest people have shown.
Josie’s condition is so rare that only an exact match can do to help her, which further limits her chances of getting the help until the right person signs up.
Donor needs to be a 10/10 match
Chris Bain, DKMS volunteer hub lead for Scotland, said: “We came to the Moy show to get the word out about DKMS and to get us better known in Scotland.
“We are also here to find a potential donor match for Josie, who is a little local girl who stays in Ross-shire.
“She has a blood condition and is looking for her perfect ten out of ten stem cell match. We hope to do that today by registering new donors.”
Mr Bain says that events like the Moy Country Fair are important in getting the word out to people who may have thought about registering but don’t have all the information.
If more people are registered then the higher the chance that patients find a match and can then receive life-saving treatment.
Mr Bain added: “It’s imperative that we come to these events. There are a lot of people who come and speak to us that aren’t able to register as a stem cell donor, however, by speaking to them you find they go off and tell a friend or family member who are eligible.”
“It’s about trying to get as many people as we can on the register because the more people on that register the better chance a patient has of surviving.”
Conversation