Thousands of people have signed up to become a stem cell donor after an extensive appeal to help a baby boy with blood cancer.
Francis Oldham, from Walton, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia – a rare and aggressive form of cancer – when he was just 15-weeks-old. Francis' family were given the devastating news on August 9 and were told his best chance of survival was having a bone marrow transplant from a donor who is a 10 out of 10 match with him.
Francis' mum Anna Holland previously told the ECHO the diagnosis was "the worst news" and issued an appeal for people to take a test to see if they are a match for her son as she added: "You don't think about it until you're there but a small procedure can save a life."
READ MORE: 'This is Francis. He needs your help' Mum's plea to the city to help save her son
Anthony Nolan, a charity that connects patients in need with strangers who donate stem cells, has now confirmed nearly 2,250 people have joined the register since August 16. The charity said this huge increase in donor sign ups is likely linked to Francis's family's appeal which was shared by Liverpool FC during the Reds' home match v Bournemouth on Saturday, August 19.
A banner was also held up in the Kop asking donors to "fight for Francis". A spokesperson for Anthony Nolan said 1,064 of the new signups have come from Liverpool and although they can't put every sign up down to Francis' appeal, they credit the spike in signups down to it.
Mum Anna, 24, told the ECHO: "Having the banner shared by the club helps spread awareness, particularly among young males. We want Francis to find a match but if more people can come forward and be tested then more matches can be found in general.
"The amount of support we've had from the city makes me emotional. Liverpool always comes together in times of crisis. It is comforting to know we have got the support of the city. We know the whole city is fighting for Francis."
Anna said Francis started to come out in strange marks on his body at just six-weeks-old. She took him to their GP with a high temperature – and after initial thoughts were he was suffering from sepsis, tests confirmed he had acute myeloid leukaemia.
Anna said the bone marrow transplant is her son's best chance of survival. Francis has just completed 10 days of gruelling chemotherapy at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. She added he was "a little fighter" with the "most beautiful smile".
Henny Braund MBE, chief executive of Anthony Nolan, said: "It would mean everything to Francis’ family to find him a donor before November when he will need his transplant. We will be supporting them as they wait for news of a donor who could give him a second chance at life.
"If you’re aged 16-30, in good health, you could give hope to someone like Francis by joining the Anthony Nolan register today. We are particularly urging young men to consider signing up – they are far more likely to be chosen to donate but they are less likely to sign up."
Anthony Nolan is especially encouraging more young men to sign up to the register, as they make up a high percentage of donations but are less represented on the register. People can sign up online and will receive a cheek swab in the post which needs to be returned. Once the register, people can be called to donate and potentially save someone's life.
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