An international appeal to help a young west Suffolk girl find a blood stem cell donor – backed by Ed Sheeran and a host of other celebrities – has resulted in a match being found.
Jasmi Lindberg Cooke, from Bury St Edmunds, who celebrated her eighth birthday on October 14, has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia for three years.
The youngster was told she urgently needed to find a matching blood stem cell donor to give her the best chance of survival.
In July, Suffolk superstar Ed posted a picture of himself holding a piece of paper with the phrase “#JoinforJasmi” to encourage people to sign up to the registry.
Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz from the Beastie Boys, musician Frank Turner and former Nizlopi duo John Parker and Luke Concannon - who rose to fame when their JCB Song topped the charts in 2005 - also backed the campaign.
Blood cancer charity DKMS said that thousands of additional people had signed up to its registry since the star and others backed the appeal to find a matching donor for Jasmi.
A spokeswoman for DKMS said that Jasmi and her family discovered a donor had been found around the time of her birthday.
She added that the transplant is yet to take place.
Jasmi’s mother Rena Cooke said: “Jasmi has been through so much but still manages to keep smiling and keep us all laughing.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has taken the time to support the #JoinForJasmi campaign and register as a potential blood stem cell donor.
“We’re over the moon that a donor has been found but know that we still have a long and tough road ahead of us over the next few months.”
Lisa Nugent, head of donor recruitment at DKMS, said: “Each year around 2,000 people living with a blood cancer are searching for a lifesaver.
“Huge thanks to everyone who’s supported Jasmi’s appeal and helped to find her and other people in her situation a potentially lifesaving donor.
“If you are aged between 17 and 55 and in general good health please register for your home swab kit at www.dkms.org.uk and you’ll go on standby to give someone like Jasmi a second chance of life.”
For more information, click here or call 020 8747 5620.
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