Urgent Donor Search for Lincs Teen with Cancer
The family of a teenager from Lincoln is urgently appealing for a stem cell donor after he was told on his 16th birthday that his cancer had returned
The family of a teenager from Lincoln is urgently appealing for a stem cell donor after he was told on his 16th birthday that his cancer had returned and spread to his brain.
Reece Khan, who had been free of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) for 18 months, now faces intensive treatment after doctors gave him a one-in-five chance of survival.
His mother, Selina Niman, 51, a care worker, said the diagnosis has "broken" the family. Reece was first diagnosed with ALL, a rare form of blood cancer, in March 2020 at the age of 11, just before the UK’s first Covid lockdown.
“It was horrendous. And because it was Covid, we couldn’t have any visitors up here,” said Mrs Niman. Reece also has type 1 diabetes, which made his treatment even more complex.
He was declared cancer-free following three and a half years of treatment. But earlier this year, he began experiencing headaches and was sent for an MRI scan in April. The results came through on his birthday, confirming the cancer had returned and spread to his brain.
Reece now requires stronger chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
“He’s scared now. I said, ‘You beat it once, you can beat it again’,” said Mrs Niman. “We’re just broken as a family. We just don’t know what else to do or where to go. Words cannot explain how we feel now. I just want to jump in his hospital bed and swap places with him.”
Finding a matching donor is more difficult because Reece is of mixed white and Asian heritage. His brother Kyle, 25, has been tested and is a half match. The family is now working with blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan to search global registers for a full match.
Mrs Niman said: “That’s why it’s so important that as many people as possible join the stem cell register. Go to the Anthony Nolan website and order a swab. It’s just a swab for the inside of your cheek. It’s not painful. Stick it back in an envelope and that is all it takes. Literally a minute of your time and it would mean the world to me, to me and Reece.”
Rowena Bentley, head of programme and community recruitment at Anthony Nolan, said: “Reece’s story is especially poignant because he was told about the relapse on his 16th birthday; the date that young people can join the Anthony Nolan register and potentially save a life.
“It’s vital that we raise awareness of stem cell donation and encourage more people to join the register. We know that younger stem cell donors give patients the best chance of survival. That’s why we’re calling on healthy 16 to 30-year-olds to join the register now, so that people like Reece can have a second chance at life.”