A MOTHER who lost her daughter to leukaemia is hosting a bone marrow drive in her honour.

Twenty one years ago Patricia Ward, known as Trisha to her friends, died aged 16 from cancer of the blood after an 18-month long battle with the illness.

Despite seven cycles of chemotherapy doctors were unable to save the former Edenfield and Haslingden High School Pupil.

However, her mum Susan Ward, who works at Accrington and Rossendale College in the hair and beauty department, said medical advances had moved on a lot in the past two decades and is urging people to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register to prevent families going through the same heartache.

Experiments

Susan, who lives in Turn Village, near Edenfield, said: "At the time they were doing experiments with taking patients‘ bone marrow, cleaning it and giving it back but before she had chance to have this she died.

"She was first diagnosed after complaining that she was tired, which wasn’t like her. The next minute she just couldn’t stop being sick. She was taken to Bury hospital where she was diagnosed with leukaemia.

"Every year we do something for cancer charities and this year we have decided to support the Anthony Nolan Foundation. The more people who are on the bone marrow register, the more that can be saved in the future. All our family were checked at the time and you would think brothers and sisters would be a match but that isn’t always the case."

The event will be held between 12noon and 3pm on Thursday 11 June at Accrington and Rossendale College’s Coppice Centre, off Sandy Lane, Accrington.

The Anthony Nolan Trust is particularly keen on hearing from people aged 18-40 year olds, weighing more than eight stone, especially young men from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

lisa.kenyon@menmedia.co.uk