Carl Ikeme: Family of toddler Margot Martini support Wolves star after leukaemia diagnosis
The family of a toddler who died from leukaemia today sent a message of support to Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme after he was diagnosed with the disease.
Yaser and Vicki Martini, who launched a worldwide campaign to find a bone marrow donor for their daughter Margot, today joined the huge public outpouring after the Nigerian international's blood cancer diagnosis was revealed.
Margot died aged just two after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant but her story prompted thousands of people to join the stem cell register.
But it also exposed the difficulty in finding donor matches for people from ethnic minorities or mixed heritage.
Bone marrow stem cell transplants are one of the major treatment for leukaemia, as well as chemotherapy, radiation, biological and targeted therapy.
Mr Martini, whose wife Vicki hails from Essington, said: "We are shocked to hear about Carl's diagnosis and our hearts go out to him and his family. It’s ironic, because everyone at Wolves have been so supportive of Team Margot and we want to send our best wishes and our support, as they fight his cancer together."
They set up the Team Margot Foundation with a string of friends, family and supporters which is aimed at getting more people to join the stem cell register – particularly those from ethnic minorities and mixed backgrounds.
Mr Martini added: “As yet, it’s unclear whether Carl will need to have a bone marrow transplant, but it’s a certainty that he will need blood and platelet donations to stay clinically well. Anyone reading this can help in two ways by signing up to become a blood donor and also registering as a potential bone marrow donor.
“Regarding bone marrow donation, we know first hand from Margot’s experience that people with a mixed heritage and those from the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities have only a 21 per cent chance of finding a donor with a matching tissue type. For this reason, we urgently need more people from these communities to join the bone marrow registers.
"In that sense, we each have a unique contribution that we can make and I’m not exaggerating when I say that you could be the only one who can save a life.”
Wolves players, including club legend Steve Bull, have backed Team Margot's campaign.
Margot's uncle Durand Bailey, who lives in Tettenhall and runs Diffusion designer clothing store in Lichfield Street, knows Ikeme. He said: “Carl is such a lovely man, a real gentleman. He has done so much to help others. We all wish him and his family well."
Wolves announced the 31-year-old had returned 'abnormal blood tests' as he returned for pre-season and further checks confirmed the diagnosis.
He is to start a lengthy treatment programme.
To sign up as a blood donor visit blood.co.uk To find out how you can become a potential stem cell donor, go to teammargot.com
