A Croydon leukaemia charity dedicated its latest recruitment drive to the memory of a former supporter.
The African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) held several recruitment drives in a bid to find a life saving matched donor for Kye Carpenter-Mark, but the three-year-old lost his battle with the disease on November 26.
Kye from Southall, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in 2010 and immediately began to receive chemotherapy treatment, but further tests confirmed Kye had relapsed and was now suffering from bone marrow failure.
The ACLT held several recruitment drives to try and find a donor and at the last event on June 18, despite hundreds of people joining the bone marrow, blood and organ registries, a genetically matched bone marrow donor was not found.
Kye’s mum Laura Carpenter, said: “Please don’t tell me you know how I feel unless you have lost a child too. Please don’t tell me my broken heart will heal, because that is just not true.
“Please don’t tell me my son is in a better place, though it is true; I want him here with me.”
Beverley De-Gale OBE, co-founder of the ACLT said: “Our deepest sympathy are with the Carpenter and Mark families especially Laura and Kieron, Kye’s parents.
“The family has mentally and emotionally struggled throughout 2010-2011 to observe their brave little soldier trying to beat the cancerous disease.
“The family are going through an incredibly tough time; however Kye’s mum and dad have requested the general public show their support by contacting the ACLT to join the donor registers in order to actively work together as a community and to prevent another young life being taken.”
To find out more about the ACLT’s work visit www.aclt.org or call 0208 240 4480.
Article and photo from croydonguardian.co.uk
