DONOR FOR 'PANTS ON HEAD' GIRL
A bone marrow donor has been found for a young girl who was at the centre of a social media craze which saw celebrities and the public alike posing for selfies with pants on their heads.
Footballer Gareth Bale, Wales rugby union captain Sam Warburton and comedian Russell Howard were among the stars who posted a picture of themselves online wearing their underwear on their heads in a bid to encourage people to sign up to the register in order to find a matching donor for eight-year-old Hollie Clark.
Hundreds of pictures with the caption #HelpHollie appeared on Facebook and Twitter as members of the public followed suit.
Hollie, from Cardiff, has a rare bone marrow syndrome called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and was in desperate need of a bone marrow donor, a spokeswoman for charity Anthony Nolan said.
The youngster was diagnosed with MDS, a disorder which causes a fall in the number of healthy blood cells in the body, in April after developing unusual bruising. She was surviving on blood transfusions until a suitable donor was found through the Anthony Nolan register.
A donor has now been found and Hollie will now start chemotherapy in preparation for the transplant which will take place later this month, the charity spokeswoman said.
Her parents, Laura and Stephen, launched the campaign to encourage people to sign up to the charity's register. The youngster and her family also posed for pictures with their underwear on their heads.
As a result of the #pantsonyourhead campaign there was a 2,580% increase in the number of people in Wales signing up to the bone marrow register in just over two weeks compared with the same period last year, the charity said.
And across the UK as a whole there was a 170% jump, the spokeswoman added.
Hollie's mother, a GP, said: "Although we are full of happiness we still have a long way to go. We know there are many mums and dads looking out of a window right now, wondering if that special person will join a bone marrow register to save their child's life.
"It's not a position you ever want to be in. It is despair, fear and terror. Try and imagine looking for that one special person in the world who could save your child's life. It does not have to be like this, it could be different. The solution is to register as a bone marrow donor and tell your friends to do the same."
Karen Archer, regional register development manager at Anthony Nolan, added: "We are absolutely delighted that a match has been found for Hollie and we wish her and all of her family the best of luck for the future.
"The 'pants on your head selfie' idea really took off and made a big difference in terms of the numbers joining the register. It's our goal to find a match for everyone who needs a transplant so it's wonderful that Hollie's friends and family are carrying on the fight and urging even more people to come forward and support the work of Anthony Nolan."
:: Anyone aged 16 to 30 can sign up to the register. To find out more visit: www.anthonynolan.org
