Elaiya Hameed has rare cancer which can only be cured if peripheral blood stem cell is donated to her via transfusion or bone marrow donation, most likely from Pakistani heritage.
Little Elaiya was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, reported National World.
Her grandfather, Mazhar Iqbal, said that the family was ready to give £20,000 to the suitable donor as she is “running out of time.”
“This is a matter of life and death,” Iqbal said.
“We are hoping that this financial incentive will encourage people to sign up to complete the very easy blood transfusion,” he added.
Iqbal explained that the procedure does not take any time and is “simpler than a COVID test”.
“The money will change the donor’s life if they can change my granddaughter’s.”
“Biggest problem for Elaiya is purely not enough Asian, ethnic minorities, or south Asian country’s people being on the donors’ list,” he elaborated.
Her parents Summan and Muzahir Hameed, who started a campaign on Instagram shared that Elaiya was in the “high-risk group” meaning that chemotherapy was not sufficient to help her fight for her life.
“We’ve begun the search for a bone marrow donor and we desperately need your help.”
Iqbal said that the family was “devastated” since the diagnosis a couple of months ago.
More than 200 people showed up for tests to help the little girl following the campaign and surgery was arranged in Bristol.
While two people turned out to be positive matches for other cancer patients, Elaiya could not find her match.
The family has been hosting surgeries in different cities and will be arranging the next one in Nottingham on July 24.
Elaiya is admitted to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where she has completed her first round of chemotherapy.
“Chemotherapy is hard enough but for an 18-month-old baby it’s unimaginable,” said Iqbal.
