Sick boy, 10, to travel 4,000 miles from Zambia to India for transplant

07 January 2024 , 21:50

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Sick boy, 10, to travel 4,000 miles from Zambia to India for transplant

A little boy is about to set off on an epic 4,000-mile journey for a potentially life-saving transplant, thanks to the Mirror.

Jasper Makungu, 10, is due to travel from his home in Zambia this week to a clinic in India after we teamed up with blood cancer charity DKMS. Jasper has sickle cell disease, which requires a stem cell transplant to give him a second chance of a healthy life.

He suffered a painful episode at Christmas but his dad Jackson says his son has rallied. “He should be going to India now he is better,” Jackson said.

Jasper’s story began in Kabwe, his hometown identified as the most toxic on earth, in September 2022. We met with Jackson, 46, on a disused lead mine where he was digging for the metal which he sells to feed his family. He told us of his son’s life-­threatening illness and the tragic loss of firstborn son Jackson Jr to the disease aged just five. The Mirror con­­tacted DKMS and tests were carried out on Jasper’s sisters Ruby, five, and Mercy, 16, who is a perfect match.

Jasper's father Jackson (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)

Jasper will travel with her and his mum Carol, 41, to Bangalore for the transplant. Caroline Richardson, DKMS head of fundraising in the UK, said: “The more people who register as blood stem cell donors, the better the chance of finding a match.”

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Only 3% of the UK’s population are ­registered. A tiny proportion are from minority ethnic communities. Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that clogs blood vessels and damages organs. The only long-term treatment is a bone marrow transplant.

Deborah Hyde, of DKMS UK, said joining its register is easy if you are aged 17 to 55 and in reasonably good health.

Jeremy Armstrong