Sign up as a donor to help save poorly Emma’s life at music concert

An awareness-raising concert is to be held in aid of a little girl whose chances of finding a lifesaving bone marrow donor are rapidly running out.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Sep 2014, 13:16 BST

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Emma Whittaker suffers from the rare condition Fanconi Anaemia which can cause bone marrow failure. PNL-140324-163424001Emma Whittaker suffers from the rare condition Fanconi Anaemia which can cause bone marrow failure. PNL-140324-163424001
Emma Whittaker suffers from the rare condition Fanconi Anaemia which can cause bone marrow failure. PNL-140324-163424001

The family of six-year-old Emma Whittaker from Pitstone have joined forces with alternative folk duo The Portraits to stage a one-day extravaganza with the aim of finding the schoolgirl – who suffers with the rare condition Fanconi Anaemia along with her brother James – the blood stem cell match she desperately needs.

At the event this Sunday from 1pm at Pitstone Village Hall, people can sign up to the donor register.

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Entry is free, with donations to the Anthony Nolan Trust and Delete Blood Cancer.

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The day will also feature live music sets, children’s activities, food and prizes.

The Portraits are halfway to their target of recording 2,000 voices for a charity recordwhose aim is to get more people onto the donor register. Pianist Jeremy said: “We were very moved by Emma’s story. Many lose out in the worst possible way because others fear, or don’t know about, becoming donors, so there aren’t enough potentialmatches on the register.

“We’re shouting about the fact that becoming a donor can be as simple as sending in a cheek swab. If you are asked to be a donor, it’s similar to giving a blood transfusion – it’s neither a long nor a painful process.”

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For more about the concert visit www.facebook.com/EmmaAndJamesNeedYou.

Click here to read more about Emma and James’ plight.

The family are also running a successful Twitter campaign to raise awareness of Fanconi Anaemia and the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, which encourages celebrities to share photos of themselves wearing their pants on their head.

For more about the idea, click here, or search @Match4Emma on Twitter.