41-year-old Meena Kumari-Sharma from Hertfordshire has been battling aggressive blood cancer.
The mother-of-two is appealing for potential stem cell donors so “she can live to see her five-year-old twins grow up.”
She was recently unable to talk or walk and was on oxygen and in intensive care because of acute myeloid leukemia.
Meena last saw her twins for two days during Christmas, a period cut short due to her deteriorating health.
She was forced to undergo grueling cancer treatment about one hour and a half drive away from her little Krish and Mia, both 5. Meena had to be relocated to Leicester, where her mother lives.
She is now searching for a perfect stem cell match, of which she only has a 20 percent chance of finding. She also uses social media to raise awareness of her plea with the hashtag #Match4Meena.
Her twins live with their father in Hertfordshire, as Mia has to be close to Great Ormond Street Hospital for her serious medical condition.
Meena video messages her kids daily and longs to be with them. However, if a stem cell match isn’t found, her leukemia will keep on returning and eventually kill her.
She said: “My consultant was really worried and he thought I might die last month.
“Because I was so unwell, I can’t receive healthy stem cells for three or four more months now, because they have to make sure all the cancer is out of my blood before they put in any new stem cells.
“So luckily it’s bought us more time to find a perfect match. I’ve not been well enough to see my children and I have had to put all my affairs in order because I don’t know what will happen. I just want to get better so I can watch them grow up.”
Perfect stem cell matches are difficult to find. If a match doesn’t exist within the family, a patient only relies on the generosity of a stranger for recovery.
Meena added: “But even if no match is found for me, you could still save a life by becoming a potential stem cell donor.
“I don’t know what will happen to me. I don’t know if I will still be here in six months. If I can leave a legacy of helping save lives, then it will be worth it.”
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