Zara, aged nine, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in October 2019. In March 2022, Zara’s family were given the devastating news that her AML has returned and she was very quickly admitted to hospital to begin chemotherapy.

Zara is most likely to be matched with a blood stem cell donor from a similar ethnic background. “South Asians are heavily underrepresented on the register and it is much more difficult for patients with a diverse ethnic heritage to find a matching donor.” says Zara’s dad Vikas

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK, like Zara, is diagnosed with blood cancer. Often their only hope of survival is a stem cell transplant from a stranger. DKMS works hard to add as many potential lifesavers to the blood stem cell register as possible, to increase the chance of a match being made for every patient in need.

Adding each person to the register costs £40, so the money you raise or donate helps us to find more matches and give more people with blood cancer or blood disorders a second chance of life.

If you would like to register as a potential blood stem cell donor yourself, please visit www.dkms.org.uk/zara
Thank you for your support.