A mum has issued a new plea for a stem cell donor after being diagnosed with a “rare and aggressive” form of blood cancer which she says has had “brutal effects”.
Rachael Nixon, from Kirkcaldy in Fife, decided to see her GP after symptoms continued throughout the summer.
Adjusting to being a single mum while juggling her job as a self-employed milliner, the 39-year-old felt it wasn’t all that unusual to be experiencing dizzy spells and increased fatigue.
She told STV News last month: “Within two hours of getting my bloods done they phoned me back immediately and were saying ‘somethings not right, you have to come in first thing after the weekend.
STV News“And then after a long wait of testing – because my cancer is so rare it took them over six weeks to get my results back – I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Myelofibrosis.”
In an update on Facebook this week, she said: “A hard picture to share but this is the reality of what Cancer is doing to my body right now. This month has been so so rough.
“My neutrophil levels are so low that I’m getting all the bugs and after recovering from a brutal sickness bug I now have something else and I just can’t seem to get better from it.
“The sooner I find my Stem Cell Donor match the better as I just want to be able to be healthy enough to be the best mummy for Daisy.”
Blood cancer charity DKMS say roughly 300 people in the UK are diagnosed with Myelofibrosis each year.
Rachael urgently needs to find a stem cell donor to give her a second chance at life before it’s too late.
Having welcomed daughter Daisy into the world less than a year ago, her motivation during her donor search is to be able to see her little girl grow up.
She said: “I want future mums like me that are in this position – staying up late at night, wondering if they’re going to die and not being able to raise their child – I want in the future people to be able to look at those statistics and those statistics be a lot better than they are now.”
She said: “I now have a full new chapter ahead of me and that’s being a mum, and I want to continue being a mum.
“The thought that I might not be here for Daisy is terrifying.”
STV NewsRachael has received around 1,885 mouth swab kit requests through her appeal page with the figure rising every day.
The charity said finding donors can be like finding a needle in a haystack and just 2.4% of the eligible population in Scotland are registered to become a potential donor.
DMKS urged those who have requested kits from Rachael’s and any other appeal to ensure they are returned to be fully registered for being a potential donor.
Rachael added: “Since being diagnosed I’ve been so overwhelmed with the amount of support from family and friends. I feel so thankful that I have so many people out there who would drop everything at a drop of a hat to help.
“Please join the register for people like me who need a stem cell donor.
“You may not be a match for me but you could potentially be a match for someone else and save a life! It’s so easy to do.”
DKMS are keen to make people aware that the process of becoming a donor and possibly making a donation, is a lot simpler than it used to be.
Deborah Hyde, the charity’s communications manager, said: “You can go online at DKMS.org.uk, you’ll just answer a few simple health questions.
“And then we’ll send you out a swab kit, some very simple mouth swabs that you can do at home. Do those and then send them back to us.
“If you were found to be a match for somebody who needs a stem cell transplant, these days in nine out of ten cases, donating your stem cells is a really simple procedure, it’s very similar to donating blood platelets.
“I think a lot of people have a misconception – because 20 to 30 years ago it was a big invasion operation, it involved drilling into the hip bone – today it’s a very simple procedure.”
You can find Rachael’s campaign here.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
