We are raising money for a range of charities that have recently supported a colleagues family after his daughter was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia

Aplastic Anaemia is a rare and serious disease in which the bone marrow does not produce an adequate number of new blood cells. This causes tiredness, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, unexplained bruising, nose bleeds, headache and fever and if left untreated, can be life threatening.

The journey for Megan has been arduous and below is the account by Matt about the journey his daughter and family have faced.

Matt says, “Shortly after Megan’s 10th birthday, late September last year, we noticed bruising on her legs. Assuming this was normal rough and tumble at school, we thought nothing of it, however the bruises kept appearing and within two days were all over her body. After a trip to the specialist and weeks of exhaustive testing, she was finally diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia.

“It was a devastating diagnosis, and there was no treatment available which could reverse the failed bone marrow. Her only option was a full bone marrow transplant. Megan endured weekly blood and platelet transfusions while we waited for a suitable donor match, with the situation becoming increasingly desperate.

“Just before Christmas, we were given a glimmer of hope when a donor was identified in Germany and a recovery pathway finally became available. It still wasn’t easy, as the availability of Bone Marrow Transport (BMT) wards is very low, so we had to wait our turn. It meant long spells in hospital, including over Christmas and a blue light emergency ambulance trip in January. By this point our little girl was very ill.

“On 25 February Megan was finally admitted into the BMT ward at Bristol Children's Hospital for an intensive nine days of chemotherapy to prepare her body for the BMT process. On 5 March the stem cells arrived, D Day was finally upon us, and the BMT took place over two days. A long recovery period was, and still is, ahead of us. She remained in the isolation ward for five weeks, followed by a further six weeks in the family isolation accommodation ‘Sam's House’. Then, we were finally allowed to bring our little girl home. She's got a long way to go and will need to isolate at home for the next nine to ten months but she's home; we couldn't ask for more.”

We will be organising and running a series of activities over the 8-12 months including a Gala Dinner to help raise funds for these amazing charities.