Mum of boy needing blood for cancer treatment backs NHS donor appeal

A mum whose five-year-old son was helped by multiple blood transfusions during cancer treatment is urging the people of Manchester to step forward after the NHS revealed it needs one million donors to meet demand.

Alexandra Williams’ son Noah was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of childhood cancer that starts in soft tissue, in October 2023 after developing a lump in his groin.

Noah underwent nine stages of intense chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. On many occasions, transfusions were vital to raise his blood count to the level needed to undergo the treatment at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Noah is now on maintenance chemotherapy to keep the disease at bay, and Alexandra and her husband Michael credit blood donors with giving their son the strength to withstand the grueling treatment.

This National Blood Week, Noah’s story is being shared on plasma screens at Manchester’s Plymouth Grove and Norfolk House donor centres with a heartfelt message of thanks to the city’s loyal donors.

Alexandra, 32, who lives in Radcliffe, said: “If blood wasn’t available for Noah, he would not be here today. Fortunately, it was one thing we never had to worry about.

“At times we were told Noah would have to skip or delay doses of chemotherapy because he might be too sick to undergo the treatment. But no doctor realized just how strong and resilient Noah is, and he never missed any of his sessions and fought through the pain each time.

“We sincerely believe this was only possible because Noah had access to blood transfusions. We lost track of how many times he became neutropenic and had to be given blood. Whether it was red blood cells, plasma, or platelets, transfusions were crucial to get Noah through his treatment plan.”

Following continuous positive scans, Noah, who is autistic and non-verbal, is now back at school and is able to enjoy being outside and playing in water, which are his favorite things to do. He loves spending time in the garden with his little sister Harriet and is a big fan of the children’s TV show Hey Duggee.

Alexandra added: “Noah is not cured, but he is defying the odds. The support, treatment, and blood donations given by the community around us gave him the fighting chance he needed to get to where he is today. He is back to being a happy little boy, enjoying life.

“As a family, we never thought about giving blood until this happened to our boy. Mike and I are now signed up and ready to give our first donation, and we hope that sharing Noah’s story inspires others to give blood too.

“To everyone who gives blood, I want to say a heartfelt thank you on behalf of Noah and all the other families going through cancer treatment. We have seen how your gift helped not only Noah but the other poorly children on his ward who needed blood too. It is truly amazing.”

Two-thirds of all the blood currently collected is used to treat patients like Noah, who rely on regular transfusions for conditions including cancer and blood disorders.

The NHS has revealed that fewer than 800,000 people in England donated blood last year – just two percent of the population. It is calling on one million people to become regular donors to secure the nation’s blood supply and help create the country’s largest volunteering force.

The call comes after NHS Blood and Transplant analysis revealed there is an annual shortfall of more than 200,000 donors needed to meet growing demand.

More than 5,000 donations are needed every day – around 1.8 million donations a year – with more than one million active donors now required to help maintain a safe and reliable blood supply.

In July 2024, NHS Blood and Transplant issued an Amber alert due to a severe shortage of O negative blood triggered by the cyber-attack on London hospitals. Blood stocks have remained low, and following several bank holidays in quick succession, there is now a pressing need to avoid a Red Alert which would mean demand far exceeds capacity.

This can be avoided if more donors come forward to fill the available appointment slots – particularly in the permanent donor centres such as the two in Manchester which have a combined 4,300 appointments available over the next six weeks.

Right now, there is a critical need for O negative donors – the universal blood type needed for emergencies – and for more donors of Black heritage, who are significantly more likely to have the specific blood types needed to treat sickle cell disease.

Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, Dr. Jo Farrar, said: “There are many thousands of people who donate regularly and help us keep patients like Noah alive. Thank you. You are amazing. You keep the NHS going and save and transform thousands of lives a year.

“Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you’d truly be one in a million.

“Please book an appointment today, experience how good it feels to save lives, and come and do it again in a few months.”

Health Minister, Baroness Merron, said: “I am extremely grateful to the many thousands of people who donate regularly – the blood you donate saves people’s lives, from mothers in maternity wards to victims of car crashes.

“However, the NHS is in urgent need of more lifesaving blood donors from all backgrounds. We are working alongside NHS Blood and Transplant to make donating blood easier than ever before, opening up new donor centres and making appointments available closer to home.

“This National Blood Week, please register and book an appointment near you so the NHS can maintain its vital blood supply.”

Register now and book an appointment online, on the GiveBloodNHS app or by calling 0300 123 23 23.