'We have no right to give up': this mother appeals for bone marrow donation to save her daughter

In Allauch, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, a mother is appealing for bone marrow donation in the hope of saving her granddaughter, Lucie, who is suffering from a blood disease.

In Provence, in Allauch, Bénédicte is a mother who has called for help that sounds like a cry of despair. Indeed, this young mother has a little girl named Lucie, 5 years old, who suffers from aplastic anemia.

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It's about a sickness blood that prevents the proper functioning of the little girl's bone marrow. Thus, the bone marrow no longer produces enough red blood cells and platelets, which are essential for the proper functioning of the body.

“We were immediately told that the best solution would be a bone marrow transplant” , said Bénédicte.

A call for bone marrow donation

To save her granddaughter, Bénédicte therefore appealed for the donation of bone marrow . For the moment, no compatible donor has been found among the child's relatives. Lucie's brother was tested, and although he had a one in four chance of being a match, the result came back negative.

'It's a second cold shower to think that on this planet, there is not a person who is able to save our daughter. If there were more registered in the register, we might have had the opportunity to have a donor compatible with Lucie. National and international searches were extended and a compatible donor was never found. We remain optimistic: our child is our whole life, it is our future, it is our joy of living. We don't have the right to give up.' , regretted Bénédicte.

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To take care of her daughter, who can no longer go to school, Bénédicte has stopped working and stays with her. Today, Lucie can no longer practice any activities, while she dreams of starting to dance again, and she must follow a heavy drug treatment while waiting for her transplant.

Register as a donor

In France, only 350,000 people are registered to donate their bone marrow, and there are 1,200 people in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. However, this practice remains simple and painless.

“I feel a duty to speak out for all these children and adults who are waiting for a donor. Donating your bone marrow is something very simple, but it seems complicated for people. It is often confused with the spinal cord” , said Bénédicte.

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If you wish to participate and donate your bone marrow, you can make a request on the Agence de la biomédecine website. For this, it is enough to be between 18 and 35 years old and to be in perfect health . In some cases, the donation can be made until the age of 60. To find out if you are compatible with a patient, 80% of the tests are done by blood test.

A simple step that could save lives and help little Lucie overcome her illness.