Liverpool City Council held a meeting in September where councillors were informed about Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. They were made aware that around 1,800 children are diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year, and incidence rates for children’s cancer in the UK have increased by 24% since the early 1990s. Blood cancer is unfortunately quite prevalent. In the UK, someone is told they have a blood cancer every 14 minutes, which means approximately 110 people per day, or 40,000 people per year receive this news.
The most common types of cancers found in children include leukaemia, brain and intracranial tumours, and lymphomas. Combined, these cancers make up around 75% of cancers diagnosed among children every year, with leukaemia being the most widespread. Although treatments for childhood cancer have come a long way and mortality rates have fallen by 68% in the UK over the last 50 years, childhood cancer is still affecting numerous families in Liverpool, inflicting significant physical and emotional suffering.
At the meeting, officials mentioned the case of Francis, a three-month-old child from Liverpool who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. Francis’s parents received the heartbreaking news that their new baby had an aggressive form of blood cancer, and that doctors had told them a stem cell transplant was the only way to cure him. After noticing an unexplained bruise on his arm when he was just six weeks old, Francis’s parents encountered further issues such as Francis feeling very sick and tired. Finally, a bone marrow biopsy revealed that he had acute myeloid leukaemia with his bone marrow containing 80% cancer cells. Even after receiving a suitable match and undergoing the stem cell transplant, the child’s survival rate stands at only 30% due to additional health issues.
Anthony Nolan, which is the world’s first stem cell donor register, launched a “Fight for Francis” campaign aimed at raising awareness of blood cancers as a whole and promoting stem cell and bone marrow donation, which provides lifesaving treatment for both adults and children. The organisation has been carrying out groundbreaking research and funding clinical trials aimed at transforming the future and providing the best experience possible for patients before, during, and after the transplant process. The Council supports and commends the Fight for Francis campaign and encourages all Liverpool residents, community organisations, and businesses to participate in the campaign. Moreover, they appreciate the excellent work done by organisations like Anthony Nolan in providing bone marrow and stem cell transplants to cancer patients, which is why if you are aged 16-30, you can give Francis and others like him hope for a second chance by joining the stem cell register.
As part of efforts to raise awareness of the #FightForFrancis campaign, Liverpool will light up public buildings in the colours of Anthony Nolan to encourage residents to join the donor register and help save the lives of people battling blood cancer or blood disorders. More information about Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and the Fight For Francis campaign is available on the NHS website, and interested parties can join the stem cell register through the Anthony Nolan website
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