Reece Khan faces gruelling treatment after being told on his 16th birthday that the cancer he had been free from for 18 months has returned and spread to his brain
The relatives of a teenager are making an urgent call for a stem cell donor after receiving the gut-wrenching news on his 16th birthday that his cancer has resurfaced and spread to his brain, following 18 months in remission.
Reece Khan is bracing himself for an intense regimen of treatment. Medical experts have assessed his chances of survival at a stark one-in-five. Selina Niman, Reece’s 51 year old mum who works as a care worker in Lincoln, expressed that this development has “broken” the family to the core.
At just 11 years old, back in March 2020 just before the initial Covid lockdown, Reece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a type of blood and bone marrow cancer that is categorised as rare. Mrs Niman described the diagnosis as “absolutely devastating” emphasising the added strain caused by the pandemic restrictions: “It was horrendous. And because it was Covid, we couldn’t have any visitors up here.”
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Reece, who harbours a passion for baking and food programmes, also faced additional health challenges owing to his type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Eighteen months ago, he received the heartening news that he was free from cancer after three and a half years of rigorous treatment.
Yet earlier this year, troubling headaches prompted him to get an MRI scan in April. The results that came through on his 16th birthday confirmed the dreaded relapse, with the cancer having progressed to his brain. His upcoming chemotherapy will be significantly more potent, augmented with radiotherapy and necessitating a stem cell transplant.
Mrs Niman shared their fear and determination, saying: “He’s scared now. I said, ‘You beat it once, you can beat it again’. We’re just broken as a family. We just don’t know what else to do or where to go. Words cannot explain how we feel now. I just want to jump in his hospital bed and swap places with him.”
Finding a compatible stem cell donor is proving to be challenging for Reece, given his mixed-race background. Reece’s older brother Kyle, who’s 25, has been tested and turns out to be a half match. The family are working closely with the charitable organisation Anthony Nolan, which is actively searching across global registers in hopes of locating a full match that could optimise the effectiveness of the treatment.
Selina emphasised: “Reece is mixed race, white and Asian, and it’s harder to find a match. That’s why it’s so important that as many people as possible join the stem cell register. Go to the Anthony Nolan website and order a swab. It’s just a swab for the inside of your cheek. It’s not painful. Stick it back in an envelope and that is all it takes. Literally a minute of your time and it would mean the world to me, to me and Reece.”
Addressing the urgency and impact of the situation, Rowena Bentley, who leads programme and community recruitment at Anthony Nolan, stated: “Reece’s story is especially poignant because he was told about the relapse on his 16th birthday; the date that young people can join the Anthony Nolan register and potentially save a life.
“It’s vital that we raise awareness of stem cell donation and encourage more people to join the register. We know that younger stem cell donors offer patients the best chance of survival. That’s why we’re calling on healthy 16 to 30 year olds to sign up now, giving individuals like Reece a fighting chance for a new lease on life.”