麻豆社

A few months ago, 1 year old Damario Thomas had weeks to live.听 He was diagnosed with a very rare form of Leukaemia and had a one hundred thousand to one chance of finding a suitable donor.

Damario

Thankfully, Damario beat the odds when a donor was found.听 His family are now able to look forward to bright future.

鈥淚鈥檓 really, really grateful if it hadn鈥檛听 been for that young man who donated his bone marrow to save Damario鈥檚 life he wouldn鈥檛 be here today鈥�, explains mother Floretta

Sadly unlike Damario, there are still many people of African heritage still facing those staggering odds of finding a suitable bone marrow donor.

sufferers

Orin Lewis is the founder of the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT).听 The Croydon based charity has been working to increase the number of African and Caribbean people on the bone marrow register for over a decade.

鈥淗opefully when people see him [Damario] they can relate to this little child and think that thank God someone did step forward.

You know that at the other end of the scale, there鈥檚 someone who鈥檚 not going to make it鈥�, says Orin.

At this time of the year and with a future full of optimism ahead, the Thomas family also want to urge more black and other ethnic minority people to register as potential bone marrow donors.

To enjoy Damario鈥檚 celebrations, click onto the video above.