A 2nd miracle is needed for Kelly...can you help?

Miracles can and do happen and our friend and colleague Kelly is looking for her second one. Have a read of Kelly's story and help support her where you can...

 

In August 2020, at the age of 40 and during routine pregnancy blood tests, abnormalities were detected in her blood. After ongoing testing, she was diagnosed with atypical chronic myeloid leukaemia which was 27 weeks into her term. To start Kelly's treatment as soon as possible, she was advised that her daughter had to be delivered earlier than anticipated.

 

In November 2020, a healthy Milly May arrived.

 

A bone marrow transplant was Kelly's only hope for recovery. The search for a suitable match began, after her only sibling had not been a match for her. While they looked, she had to have regular visits to the hospital for tests and treatment whilst also trying to be a new mother to a small baby.

 

After 3 donors failed their medicals, a fourth donor passed, and she received a bone marrow transplant in October 2021. Everything was starting to look bright for Kelly and her husband Dave; it looked like the procedure had gone well, and it was just a matter of waiting to see if Kelly’s body accepted the transplant.

 

Unfortunately, in early 2022, the terrible news that the transplant had failed was broken to Kelly. This is so heart-breaking for them as everything was going so well up to approximately 100 days post-transplant when she caught COVID and began getting lesions on her hands. At this point, her planned treatment took a slight change, and she was taken off her suppressants earlier than planned. Since this point, everything has gone wrong. Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (ACML) is such a rare condition that it only occurs in a very small percentage of the population (1-2% of those with CML). Normally, the average age ACML is diagnosed is 73; so for Kelly to be diagnosed at 40 was even more unusual.

 

In May, Kelly received the devastating news that no one, especially a mother to a toddler would ever wish to hear; she is unable to have a second transplant. So, unless there is a breakthrough in medicine and/or potential trials the life expectancy prognosis Kelly now faces is anything from 2 months to 2 years.

 

As you can imagine, Kelly and Dave are desperate and are looking for any potential treatments they can get overseas. They have written to numerous hospitals telling them their story to see if they can help. They also know that treatment abroad is not going to be cheap and could cost thousands of pounds, but they are prepared to do anything if it means she will get more time with her daughter and family.

 

Kelly and her family do believe in miracles, as her daughter, Milly, is a miracle by her own standards. After several years of trying to conceive and failed IVF, her beautiful daughter was conceived naturally. She believes there may be one more miracle out there that will allow her to spend more time with Milly, so she is reaching out to as many medical professionals as possible.

 

There is now a huge sense of urgency being felt by Kelly. She has already lost a lot of weight, now only weighing six stones and eight pounds. A recent bout of pneumonia has contributed to her weight loss and she now struggling on a daily basis with the aftereffects this has left her with.

 

So, time is of the essence, and while Kelly and Dave search for that miracle, we are desperate to help and raise as much money as possible to help with her fight against this awful disease. We want to help give them the opportunity to spend as much time together as a family as possible.

 

The target we have put forward might not be enough, so we want to try and exceed this target, if possible, with lots of fundraising too. Any money left once all expenses have been paid will go to a cancer charity of Kelly's choice. We are asking friends and family or anyone who can find in in their heart to help us. If you would like to donate, then please just click the 'donate' button.