Boy, 10, on 4,000-mile trip for 'life-saving' transplant after Mirror campaign
A schoolboy today set off on a 4,000-mile journey for a potentially life-saving transplant, thanks to the Mirror.
Jasper Makungu, 10, has sickle cell disease and left his home in Zambia to fly to India for a stem cell transplant that will give him a second chance at a healthy life. The Mirror teamed up with blood cancer charity DKMS to help him.
After delays due to health and visa problems, he left Zambia for the first time with mum Carol, 41, a teacher, and sister Mercy, 16 – found to be a match for the op. Dad Jackson said: “It is his chance for a normal life. We are so grateful to everyone who has got us this far.”
Deborah Hyde, of DKMS, said that without a transplant, kids with life-threatening blood disorders are unlikely to survive – but in Zambia such ops are not available. She said: “Patients must travel abroad, which is often beyond their means.”
Jasper Makungu, 10, with his mum Carol, 41, sisters L-R Mercy and Ruby (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)Jasper’s hometown, Kabwe, is the most toxic on earth. In 2022 we met Jackson, 46, at an old mine where he digs for lead to sell for 68p a bag.
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He told us how he lost his firstborn, Jackson Jr, to the disease aged five. DKMS has more than 12million potential blood stem cell donors worldwide. Yet just 3% of the UK’s population are registered.
Jackson Makungu at the toxic lead mine in Kabwe (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition affecting 17,000 people in the UK and causes an abnormality in the blood cells. Some die in childhood while others suffer several very painful episodes.
- For details on joining the DKMS register, visit dkms.org.uk.
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