Bone marrow match located for child following "pants on your head" campaign

Hollie Clark with mothers and fathers Laura and Stephen and younger brother Sam. Photograph: Anthony Nolan Believe in/PA

A bone marrow donor has been located for a young lady who was at the centre of a social media campaign that noticed supporters posing for selfies with pants on their heads.

Gareth Bale, the Welsh footballer who plays for Actual Madrid, Sam Warburton, the Wales rugby union captain, and Russell Howard, a comedian, had been between the stars who posted a picture of themselves on-line sporting their underwear on their heads in a bid to inspire individuals to sign up to the register in buy to find a matching donor for eight-yr-old Hollie Clark.

Hundreds of photos with the phrases HelpHollie connected, have appeared on Facebook and Twitter.

Hollie, from Cardiff, has a uncommon bone marrow syndrome called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and required a bone marrow donor, according to a spokeswoman for the charity concerned, the Anthony Nolan register.

The youngster was diagnosed with MDS, which leads to a fall in the variety of wholesome blood cells, in April right after building unusual bruising. She was surviving on blood transfusions until finally a appropriate donor was found.

This has happened and Hollie will start chemotherapy in preparation for the transplant, which will consider area later this month.

Her mother and father, Laura and Stephen, started the campaign to encourage men and women to sign up to the Anthony Nolan charity’s bone-marrow register: to join it you have to be amongst sixteen and 30 and in great wellness. The youngster and her household also posed for pictures with their underwear on their heads.

There was a 2,580% enhance in the number of men and women in Wales signing up to the bone marrow register compared to the very same two-week time period last yr, the charity mentioned.

Across the United kingdom there was a 170% leap.

Hollie’s mother, a GP, said: “Even though we are complete of happiness we still have a prolonged way to go. We know there are a lot of mums and dads hunting out of a window appropriate now, pondering if that special individual will join a bone marrow register to conserve their child’s daily life.

“It is not a position you ever want to be in. It is despair, concern and terror. Attempt and envision seeking for that a single specific person in the world who could conserve your child’s existence. It does not have to be like this, it could be various. The solution is to register as a bone marrow donor and tell your buddies to do the same.”

Karen Archer, regional register advancement manager at Anthony Nolan, added: “We are completely delighted that a match has been discovered for Hollie and we want her and all of her family the greatest of luck for the future.

“The ‘pants on your head selfie’ idea really took off and produced a massive distinction in terms of the numbers joining the register. It’s our objective to find a match for absolutely everyone who demands a transplant so it truly is great that Hollie’s friends and family are carrying on the battle and urging even a lot more folks to come forward and help the function of Anthony Nolan.”

• To locate out far more pay a visit to: www.anthonynolan.org

Bone marrow match located for child following "pants on your head" campaign

Stars pose with pants on their head to assist bone marrow patient Hollie Clark

When Hollie was recovering from her very first round of blood transfusions in hospital the only way a lot of her family members could talk with her was employing FaceTime.

Her uncle Matthew Clark put his underwear on his head to make her laugh even though he was talking to her on FaceTime and it sparked an notion for the campaign which is gathering tempo on Twitter.

^{Matthew Clark, Hollie’s uncle (Twitter)}

Welsh rugby player Sam Warburton kickstarted the viral trend when he tweeted a image of himself with pants on his and his puppy Ledley’s head.

^{Sam Warburton (Twitter)}

Athlete Jamie Baulch and sports commentator Jonathan Davies have also lent help, tweeting pictures and urging people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan donor register.

^{Jamie Baulch (Twitter)}

^{Johnathon Davies (Twitter)}

Mrs Clark said: “We’ve been completely thrilled by how a lot assistance we have previously had for this campaign.

“We’ve had responses from all over the planet currently.

“Obviously we’re desperate to find a donor for Hollie but this is not just for her, we realise the influence this can have for other households in the same situation.

“Even a single additional donor signing up could transform someone’s daily life.”

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Hollie, of Roath Park, Cardiff, at first had to have two blood transfusions a week to improve her issue but she has now stabilised.

Mrs Clark, a GP, mentioned: “The only achievable treatment method is a bone marrow transplant, we can’t do something else other than preserve Hollie stable with blood transfusions until we locate a donor.

“They are currently seeking the registers but we considered we cannot just sit waiting and not do anything.”

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Her parents’ concern was first raised when Hollie started out building mystery bruising.

Her mother took her to their physician who ran exams and sent Hollie to hospital that night.

“It was an absolute shock, it is virtually the worst point as a mother or father you could be told,” Mrs Clark mentioned.

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“We are keen to uncover a donor while Hollie remains fairly stable, we do not want it to get to a stage where she is very unwell once again which will make the method more difficult.”

Stars pose with pants on their head to assist bone marrow patient Hollie Clark