Maddalena “Maddy” Chesworth needs a bone marrow match to fight off her Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia relapse, so her family are rallying to find her a donor.
Randburg, South Africa (10 August 2023) – Maddelena “Maddy” Chesworth, a 2-year-old warrior, has sadly relapsed after a long battle against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and needs to get a bone marrow transplant to be able to overcome this relapse. Her family have launched an online awareness campaign to get donors to register in the hope of finding her a match.
Maddy was diagnosed at the age of two and a half months (2021). Her parents Alessandra and Norman Chesworth took her to the doctor because she had a swollen tummy. The doctor dismissed it as a build-up of gas and sent her home. When her swelling didn’t improve, the doctor grew very concerned and sent Maddy for blood tests at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre.
Maddy was tested and the next day, Dr Kate Bennet confirmed the diagnosis of ALL. Maddy was booked into the hospital for 5 weeks and started chemotherapy immediately.
It was confirmed that the swelling was due to her spleen and liver being extremely inflamed, a side effect of the Leukemia. Maddy responded really well to the chemo and showed signs of remission after one month of treatment. She continued her treatment for a further 9 months and was classed as in remission. Maddy was due to ring the bell this upcoming November.
“At the end of June this year, she began to develop a tremor. She was taken for an MRI which was clear for tumours or lesions however sadly it was confirmed that her leukaemia had returned, now hiding in her spinal fluid and bone marrow. Within a few days, she went from running around and perfectly fine to a completely different child in almost a comatose state – no talking, walking or even sitting up on her own.
After what felt like a long time but was really just a week, she made a huge improvement as she responded again nicely to the chemotherapy. She completed her induction chemo course on 29 July but was able to celebrate her 2nd birthday at home with her parents and brothers on 28 July. We were told she is in full remission just after her birthday.”
To maintain her remission, Maddy needs to find a bone marrow donor so she can receive a stem cell transplant. Naturally, the entire family stepped forward to be tested but there was no familial match. The database has shown that there is no match in South Africa either but they are not giving up!
They have launched an online awareness campaign, in the hopes of encouraging people to register with DKMS to become potential matches for Maddy, or any other person out there waiting. The DKMS registry is international so you could help anyone, anywhere!
Facebook and Instagram accounts have been started to keep people who want to follow Maddy’s story updated.
You can also meet them all in person at a Family hosted drive for her, which will take place on the 26th of August from 9 am to 1 pm at Belfiore Deli in Northlands Deco Park, Randburg.
How to register
DKMS has registered over 10.5 million donors globally and facilitated more than 91 000 transplants; this means 91 000 second chances of life for patients suffering from a life-threatening blood disorder.
Having more donors improves the chances that a patient will be able to find their match. Getting more people to register means correcting longstanding misconceptions about what it means to be a bone marrow donor. Being a donor is not as painful, invasive or permanent as many people believe.
If you are between the ages of 18 – 55 and in general good health, request a swab kit at dkms-africa.org. It starts with a swab, and it ends with saving a life!
There are other ways to support blood cancer and blood disorder patients if you are not eligible to donate blood stem cells. You can help DKMS Africa spread awareness, host donor drives, contribute financially and order and distribute swab kits to your network. You can find out more here.
Minimum Requirements to be a Bone Marrow Donor:
- You are between the ages of 18 and 45 years old.
- You have a minimum weight of 50kgs.
- You have a BMI of around 40 (or lower).
- Potential donors must be in good health and have no condition that donating would adversely affect.
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