A stem cell donor has been found for an eight-year-old cancer patient after musician Ed Sheeran encouraged fans to sign up to the register.
Blood cancer charity DKMS said that thousands of additional people had signed up to its registry since the star and others backed an appeal to find a matching donor for Jasmi Lindberg Cooke.
The youngster, who celebrated her eighth birthday on October 14, has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia for three years.
**What a guy!!**
Ed Sheeran is supporting the #JoinForJasmi campaign and is encouraging his Instagram followers… https://t.co/u3mJemQS7o
— Tania #FindTanADonor (@findtanadonor) July 24, 2017
Jasmi, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, was told that she urgently needed to find a matching blood stem cell donor to give her the best chance of survival.
In July, Sheeran posted a picture of himself holding a piece of paper with the phrase “#JoinforJasmi” to encourage people to sign up to the registry.
Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz from the Beastie Boys, musician Frank Turner and former Nizlopi duo John Parker and Luke Concannon – who rose to fame when their JCB Song topped the charts in 2005 – also backed the campaign.
A spokeswoman for DKMS said that Jasmi and her family discovered a donor had been found around the time of her birthday.
Would you consider registering with @DKMS_uk? YOU may be the person to save a child’s life????????
Check out https://t.co/aQXwf2q7Bz #JoinForJasmi— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) September 7, 2017
The transplant is yet to happen, she added.
Jasmi’s mother Rena Cooke said: “Jasmi has been through so much but still manages to keep smiling and keep us all laughing.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has taken the time to support the #JoinForJasmi campaign and register as a potential blood stem cell donor.
Ecstatic! Both Jasmi & Delroy found matching blood stem cell donors: https://t.co/FsJEeS0YMM #joinforjasmi #Match4Delroy #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/ArTpQYii2H
— DKMS UK (@DKMS_uk) October 16, 2017
“We’re over the moon that a donor has been found but know that we still have a long and tough road ahead of us over the next few months.”
Lisa Nugent, head of donor recruitment at DKMS, added: “Each year around 2,000 people living with a blood cancer are searching for a lifesaver.
“If you are aged between 17 and 55 and in general good health please register for your home swab kit at www.dkms.org.uk and you’ll go on standby to give someone like Jasmi a second chance of life.”
To find out more visit: dkms.org.uk or call 020 8747 5620
