Donor search for boy who was told cancer had returned on 16th birthday
Reece Khan was initially diagnosed with a rare cancer when he was 11.
The family of a boy who was told on his 16th birthday that the cancer he had been free from for 18 months has returned and spread to his brain have launched an urgent plea for a stem cell donor.
Reece Khan faces gruelling treatment and has been given a one-in-five chance of survival by medics.
His mother Selina Niman, 51, a care worker from Lincoln, said the news has “broken” the family.
Reece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare cancer than affects the blood and bone marrow, at the age of 11 in March 2020, days before the first Covid lockdown.
Mrs Niman said it was “absolutely devastating” for the family, adding: “It was horrendous. And because it was Covid, we couldn’t have any visitors up here.”
Reece, who loves baking and watching food programmes, also had further complications due to having type 1 diabetes.
He was told he was cancer-free 18 months ago after three and a half years of treatment.
However, he started getting headaches earlier this year and went to hospital for an MRI scan in April.
The next day – his 16th birthday – Reece received the news that his cancer had returned and spread to his brain.
His chemotherapy will be much stronger and he will need radiotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
Mrs Niman said: “He’s scared now. I said, ‘You beat it once, you can beat it again’.
“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.”
As Reece is mixed race, it will be harder for him to find a stem cell donor.
Reece’s brother Kyle, 25, has been tested and is a half match.
The family are working with the charity Anthony Nolan, which is searching worldwide registers to find a full match and give the treatment the best chance of success.
Selina said: “Reece is mixed race, white and Asian, and it’s harder to find a match.
“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.”
