A 12-year-old girl is suffering from leukaemia for a second time in three years and is now looking for a bone marrow donor.
German schoolgirl Romy was diagnosed with the blood cancer for a second time three years after it was first detected.
The youngster, who comes from the town of Alfeld in the German state of Lower Saxony, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) when she was nine.
AML is a rare, severe form of blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and commonly spreads into the blood as well.
During her first encounter with the illness, Romy underwent chemotherapy in hospital and even suffered a stroke which left her disabled and temporarily unable to speak and move, according to local media.
Despite these traumatic experiences, she manged to play sports and hang out with friends again, even learning to walk and talk normally.
Her grandmother Christa Hoffmann, 71, said: “She has to be checked regularly, everything was fine in November.”
However, after her body started becoming weak again, doctors discovered that the leukaemia had returned.
She underwent chemotherapy again, however, doctors warned that this time it would not be enough and she would need a bone marrow transplant.
Her grandmother said: “They told us that my granddaughter can only be saved by a stem cell transplant.”
Romy’s two brothers, aged 9 and 15, were immediately tested but their results were incompatible.
Romy is currently in hospital undergoing chemo and is waiting for a suitable donor.
The family appealed on social media saying: “Romy urgently needs a donor! We hope so much that many people will get tested.”
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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