Plea to help save the life of little girl in London

The deadline for Esha to find a stem cell donor match is Monday 20th September 2021

Esha

Author: Louise EastonPublished 15th Sep 2021
Last updated 15th Sep 2021

A desperate plea is being made to save the life of a little girl in London who has a very rare form of cancer.

4 year old Esha needs a stem cell donor if she's to stand any chance of recovering from a condition called acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Since her family began their appeal thousands of people have signed up to be tested, but so far a match hasn't been found.

You can find out here if you are a match to Esha.

The deadline to find her match is Monday 20th September. This is because there are a number of checks which needs to be done to see if a donor is eligible and this can take a few weeks.

Esha's window for treatment is very small, so there's a real urgency to find a donor that she'd be able to accept.

Esha

Her mum Kavitha said;

"Her bravery and courageousness throughout this journey has been indescribable. I have witnessed adults go through cycles of chemotherapy, but to witness a 4-year old child fight through the suffering every day has been a true inspiration to us all. Esha fights every battle with so much grace. As parents we are proud of her ability to display courage, bravery and strength throughout this journey. Despite the obstacles that she faces, she still finds the energy to thank the nurses, doctors and staff each time they walk into her room. "

"Over the last 4 months, Esha has taught me to hone in on what’s important in life. To always show gratitude for our lives and to never complain about things that are petty and insignificant. Esha is literally my SUPERHERO! She is our World. "

"Our little brave fighter, still has considerable amounts of cancer within her bone marrow and her cancer has been resistant to treatment. Neither my husband, myself nor my daughter are a match to be her stem cell donor. She only has one option and that is to have a bone marrow transplant. "

"We desperately need to find a donor who matches her HLA as close to a 100% as possible. To put it into perspective, finding a 90% match is like finding a needle in a haystack. This is why we are turning to the Great British public. We are relentlessly trying to raise awareness by educating and helping the BAME communities, in particular, understand the importance of how a non-invasive procedure could make you the saviour for our Esha. This simple act of kindness can save our daughter’s life and give her a fighting chance to win the battle against this aggressive cancer. You could help Esha have the chance to go to school, have her first sleepover, graduate from University and many more life experiences. For this reason, we implore you to come to our swab test drop-in events and to register to become a stem cell donor today!"

You can register here to see if you would be a match with Esha

How does it work if you become a stem cell donor?

If you are a match, you could give someone, like Esha, a second chance at life.

You can go to one of the drop in events that have been organised across England (listed below) or you can order a swab kit online. Once you get your kit you swab your cheeks, return the kit and you'll be added to the register.

Sept 15th

Seven Kings, Ilford - 16:00 21:00 - Ley Street, Ilford IG2 7BT