Amun Ali starts 2011 with new hope

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Press Release
 
29th December 2010
 
Amun Ali starts his new year with new hope after receiving
the gift of life for Christmas...
 
Amun Ali has had a Christmas gift he’ll never ever forget. He was given the gift of life for Christmas after undergoing a desperately-needed bone marrow transplant.
 
Desi Donors have been appealing to find Amun Ali a suitable bone marrow match for nearly a year and after finding a successful match at a Desi Donors clinic held in Small Heath in March 2010 Amun Ali has now undergone the transplant he so desperately needed to live.
 
It was feared that Amun would not live more than another two years had a donor not been found soon, and now a stranger who was the perfect bone marrow match for Amun has given him new hope to live.
 
Amun who suffers from a severe immune deficiency syndrome was told like many other Asians who need a bone marrow donor that he only had a 125,000 chance of finding a suitable match. This is because there is such a lack of Asian donors on the international register by Antony Nolan Trust.
Desi Donors was created for this purpose; to create more awareness amongst the Asian communities and get more Asians and ethnic minorities to register.
 
After much campaigning Amun Ali has found a donor, thanks to Desi Donors.
“We’re so happy that through our clinics we’ve found a match for Amun and we hope this helps him live a longer & healthier life. We wish Amun a speedy recovery from the transplant and hope that people are encouraged even more so now to join the register. Amun was told he may not live more than two years, now it may not be the case. Amun may have a longer and healthier life. Knowing you can give that gift to someone in life should be something that we all want to do. There are many other Asians in the world who too are dying and need a bone marrow match but can’t find one; simply because there aren’t enough Asian’s on the register. We need to campaign more, we need to raise more awareness and save more lives. We’re hoping like Amun we can help many other Asians,” Desi Donors.
 
Amun family at this time are celebrating the success of the transplant which took place in Newcastle, but is now resting and spending the festive time with his family at the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.
 
Najma, Amun’s mother, who has already lost one child who was 4 years old to the same disease said, “We are being cautious as he is not out of the woods. Without the people who went to the donor days, Amun would never have had this chance, but there are many more children like him they will save too.”
 
The new bone marrow should be able to create white blood cells in Amun’s body so he can fight infections. Amun is currently in a sterile ward in the Birmingham hospital and is in good spirits.
 
Desi Donors would like to take this opportunity to thank the anonymous donors, all those that have registered via the Desi Donors clinics and all the press and media who have supported us and continue to support us. We still have many more lives to save.
 
SOME FACTS:
There is a 1 in 3 chance of a White person finding a match, but shockingly there is only a 1 in 125,000 chance of an Asian person finding the right match. A successful match, when a bone marrow donors tissue type matches that of a patient, could mean the difference between life and death. Most matches are found from within the same ethnic community as the patient; the Asian community is seriously under-represented on the bone marrow register, and more donors are urgently needed.
 
There are just over 400,000 people on the bone marrow register and it’s not enough! Just 4% of those 400,000 are Asian. There are 16,000 people worldwide and 1,400 people in the UK in need of a bone marrow transplant. People who have gone on to donate talk about how wonderful it feels to have saved someone’s life. The physical feeling afterwards has been compared to a hard session of exercise.
 
For more information about Desi Donors log onto www.desidonors.org
 
Notes to Editors:
-          Desi Donors is an organisation dedicated to Bone Marrow and Blood Donations within the Asian community.
-          Desi Donors officially launched in July 2009, and has been successfully campaigning for more donors since.
-          Amun Ali lives in the Birmingham, West Midlands and is 11-years-old.
-          Amun’S Transplant took place at a hospital in Newcastle.
-          The successful match was found at Desi Donors clinic held in Smethwick in Oct 2009.
 

 

Cancer survivor Indo-Canadian actress Lisa Ray supports UK based organisation Desi Donors

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Press Release

May 2010

 

Cancer survivor Indo-Canadian actress Lisa Ray supports UK based organisation Desi Donors as she realises how difficult finding a successful Bone Marrow and Stem Cell match is herself.

 

The model-turned-actress decided to undergo medical examination earlier this year after she felt 'exhausted, pale and drained' all the time. It was only after a thorough examination that Lisa was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on June 23rd 2009.

 

Multiple myeloma is a type of bone marrow cancer arising from plasma cells, which are normally found in the bone marrow. Plasma cells form part of your immune system, which is why Lisa was feeling so weak all the time. Although a large amount of research has been done to investigate the potential causes of myeloma, nothing has been proven to date.

 

Explaining her disease, Lisa Ray said, 'Myeloma is incurable. It's a relatively rare cancer of the bone marrow. Every year, approximately 2,100 more cases are diagnosed. I'm a junior member in many ways, having been diagnosed at 37, while the average age is 65.”

 

Desi Donors heard of Lisa’s illness and contacted her to ask for her support with their organisation. Lisa Ray agreed as she felt, “this was an issue very close to her heart.”

 

The stunning model-turned-actress, who starred in the film ‘Bollywood/Holllywood’, is staying hopeful that her cancer can be cured with new treatments available in the healthcare sector these days.

 

“So today with Velcade and, Revlimid and other promising new treatments in the pipeline, our survival rates are improving. But only with an ever-expanding toolbox of treatments and awareness can this cancer be beat. So I'm going to do everything I can to wrench the spotlight onto myeloma and cancer awareness. I believe it can be cured. That's the dirty realist in me,” Lisa positively added.

 

Lisa Ray was born to a Bengali father and a Polish mother. She joined showbiz as a model and later ventured into films with Tamil movie 'Nethaji'. After that she was seen in Vikram Bhatt's 'Kasoor' in 2001, but opted to work mainly in English language films tackling challenging and non-traditional roles.

 

In 2002, internationally renowned filmmaker Deepa Mehta cast her opposite Rahul Khanna in the crossover film 'Bollywood Hollywood'. The Canada-based director later repeated Lisa in her Oscar-nominated period drama 'Water' (2006), in which she impressed critics with her performance as a young widow.

 

Lisa has kept her feet firmly on the ground throughout her stardom and it is her humble nature that has given her the strength not to break down and let her illness beat her, but for her to beat her illness by being positive and remaining strong.

 

Desi Donors are privileged to have Lisa Ray’s support and hope that people who have seen her in films or modelling in the past will see that anyone can go through such an illness. Desi Donors hope to support Lisa through this stressful time.

 

“Having Lisa Ray as one of the official ambassadors of Desi Donors is an absolute privilege. She has her own illness to deal with yet is lending her time and support to helping our cause as she wants to help others and let them know what she is going through. We really do hope Lisa gets better and we’ll continue to support her during this sensitive time,” Desi Donors said.

 

Lisa has currently returned back to Canada after a prolonged visit to India and is successfully over coming her cancer. Yet her battle continues to try and make other people, particularly Asians aware of the type of Bone Marrow cancer and the severity of it.

Asian Radio Station backs Amun’s appeal - Recruitment clinic @ Asian Star Sunday 7th March 2010

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Press Release

 February 2010
 
Asian Radio Station backs Amun’s appeal
 
Desi Donors have been appealing to find Amun Ali a suitable bone marrow match for many months now and have already held two successful clinics alongside the Anthony Nolan Trust in Birmingham.
Now Desi Donors are getting set for their next Patient Appeal for Amun Ali and have teamed up with popular Asian radio station, Asian Star Radio.
 
Asian Star Radio based in Slough have voluntarily offered their venue & facilities to Desi Donors to hold a recruitment clinic to help find Amun a suitable match and get more Asians on the Anthony Nolan Trust register.
 
Desi Donors have already recruited over 125 new Asian recruits onto the register through their previous Patient Appeals in Birmingham for Amun Ali.
 
Ten-year-old Amun Ali, who lives in Small Heath, Birmingham, has a rare condition known as Severe Immune Deficiency. It is a condition that makes Amun very weak. For example: If Amun were to get a minor infection it would be extremely life threatening. Over the years Amun has been in (H.D.U) High Dependency Unit on many occasions, where minor infections such as chickenpox have got worse and put him in quite a bad state of health.
 
Healthy people aged 18 – 40 from the Asian community are urged to come to the clinic at Asian Star Radio in Slough to join the registers or to just simply find out more about what Desi Donors are trying to do.
 
There is a 1 in 3 chance of a White person finding a match, but shockingly there is only a 1 in 125,000 chance of an Asian person finding the right match. A successful match, when a bone marrow donors tissue type matches that of a patient, could mean the difference between life and death. Most matches are found from within the same ethnic community as the patient; the Asian community is seriously under-represented on the bone marrow register, and more donors are urgently needed.
 
The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukaemia by managing and recruiting new donors to the UK’s most successful bone marrow register. There are just over 400,000 people on the bone marrow register and it’s not enough! Just 4% of those 400,000 are Asian. There are 16,000 people worldwide and 1,400 people in the UK in need of a bone marrow transplant. People who have gone on to donate talk about how wonderful it feels to have saved someone’s life. The physical feeling afterwards has been compared to a hard session of exercise.
 
The Recruitment Clinic to appeal for a suitable Bone Marrow match for Amun will take place on Sunday 7th March 2010 from 2pm till 5pm, at Asian Star Radio, The Gallery Level, The Observatory Shopping Centre, High Street, Slough, SL1 1LH.
 
Notes to Editors:
 
Desi Donors is an organisation dedicated to Bone Marrow and Blood Donations within the Asian community.
  • -          Desi Donors officially launched in July 2009, and has been successfully campaigning for more    donors since.
  • -          Amun Ali lives in the Birmingham, West Midlands and is 10-years-old.
  • -          Amun suffers from Severe Immune Deficiency.
  • -          All donors are welcome, but young males and people from ethnic minorities are under-represented on the register.
  • -         Asian Star Radio is a community radio for the Asian people in Slough.
  • -         Asian Star Radio is available on 101.6fm in the Slough area of London including Windsor, Maidenhead & Heathrow.

    •  

Asians Urgently Needed to Save Lives

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Press Release

October 2009
Asians Urgently Needed to Save Lives
UK based charity Desi Donors are urgently calling for members of the Asian community to come forward and save the lives of Asian patients who are desperately waiting to find a suitable bone marrow donor. One patient who needs to find a donor urgently is 10 year old Amun Ali who lives in the Small Heath area of Birmingham.
Desi Donors which launched earlier this year is proactively helping people like Amun Ali find the right match so they can help them live, however there are not enough Asians on the register so matches are not being found.
Amun Ali has a rare condition known as Severe Immune Deficiency. It is a condition that makes Amun very weak, for example: If Amun were to get a minor infection it could be extremely life threatening. Over the years Amun has been in (H.D.U) High Dependency Unit on many occasions, where minor infections such as chickenpox have got worse and put him in quite a bad state of health.
A special clinic will be held in Birmingham on Sunday 25th October 2009. The clinic will be an opportunity for Asians in the West Midlands to come and join the bone marrow register. The more Asians joining the register will mean the more chance of saving the lives of people like Amun. Sadly Amun has already lost a 4-year-old brother to the same condition because a suitable match could not be found.
“I am appealing for a donor to come forward, as I have already lost a 4 year old son to this condition. Amun takes powerful steroids, medication and has an infusion every week, where a nurse comes to my house. The doctors have told me that even with this medication, there is still a chance Amun could get an infection and not make it. Having a match for the bone marrow would mean Amun would have a normal life without any medication. Me and my wife and children would also have a normal family life. To find someone with the right bone marrow for Amun would answer my family's prayers. Amun is a happy and bubbly little boy with a ready smile for everyone,” said Amun’s Father Ashgar.
Healthy people aged 18 – 40 from the Asian community are urged to come to the clinic to find out more. The clinic is being held from 2pm – 5pm at the ASRA Health and Social Care Centre, Fenton Street, Smethwick, West Midlands, B66 1HR.
The blood sample taken at the registration clinic is tested to establish the tissue type and the results will be stored on The Anthony Nolan Trust’s confidential database. As a new member of the register the donor receives a registration card and written confirmation of being a potential life saver. A donor may be found to be a match for a patient almost immediately or may wait many years before being asked to donate – and in some cases may never be asked to donate at all, if no corresponding matches are requested.
There is a 1 in 3 chance of a White person finding a match, but shockingly there is only a 1 in 125,000 chance of an Asian person finding the right match. A successful match, when a bone marrow donor’s tissue type matches that of a patient, could mean the difference between life and death. Most matches are found from within the same ethnic community as the patient; the Asian community is seriously under-represented on the bone marrow register, and more donors are urgently needed.
 “There are many young children in the UK with a major problem: they have blood disorders and without a bone marrow donor their chances of survival are slim. We urgently need members of the Asian community to join the bone marrow register and help save the lives of these children and others,” Desi Donors.
Notes to Editors:
-          Desi Donors is a charity dedicated to Bone Marrow and Blood Donations within the Asian community.
-          The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukaemia by managing and recruiting new donors to the UK’s most successful bone marrow register.
-          Desi Donors officially launched in July 2009, and has been successfully campaigning for more donors since.
-          Amun lives in the Birmingham, West Midlands and is 10-years-old.
-          Amun suffers from Severe Immune Deficiency
-          Just 4%  on the register are Asian.
-          There are 16,000 people worldwide and 1,400 people in the UK in need of a bone marrow transplant.
-          People who have gone on to donate talk about how wonderful it feels to have saved someone’s life.
-          The physical feeling afterwards has been compared to a hard session of exercise.
-          All donors are welcome, but young males and people from ethnic minorities are under-represented on the register.

British Asian Music Icons are Official Desi Donors

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Press Release: 26th July 2009

British Asian music artists Rishi Rich & Veronica attended the first Desi Donors Bone Marrow and Blood Donor Recruitment Clinic on Sunday 26th July in Harrow, Middlesex, to join the Anthony Nolan Trust Register & National Blood Service Register.

Both the international music artists made history today by becoming Desi Donor’s first two official recruits by joining the Bone Marrow and Blood donor registers.

Rishi Rich who has worked with the likes of Britney Spears, Jay Sean & Craig David said he felt proud to be a Desi Donor:
“I really wanted to come and join today. I’m really proud to officially be on the register now as I know one day I could save someone’s life. People see us as just artists, but there’s more to us than that, we too have feelings & emotions and I really hope one day I can help save a life. There is such a lack of Asians on the register. It’s important people take influence of our involvement in Desi Donors and join the register themselves.”

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British Asian Celebrities gather in the Midlands for the launch of Charity

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PRESS RELEASE: 11th July 2009

Personalities from the world of British Asian music, television and media converged on the West Midlands for the special charity ball by Desi Donors, in the hope of raising awareness and funds for Bone Marrow & Blood Donation charities.

The launch of Desi Donors, took place on Friday 10th July 2009 to help raise awareness for the Anthony Nolan Trust and was attended by showbiz favourites including Taz (Stereo Nation), Shin (DCS), Channi & Mona Singh, Gurcharan Mall (Dhol Blasters), Des-C, B21, BBC’s Sonia Deol, Majid from The Apprentice and other special guests.

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