Paula’s family, an 11-year-old woman from Almonte who suffers from leukemia, received “great news” this Wednesday morning when they were told that they had found a compatible bone marrow donor to transplant the little girl thanks to an appeal on social networks seeking collaboration. .
Thus, the campaign that began in January “Keep swimming Dory” has borne fruit after almost six months in which they have been asking for compatible donors, which has caused “a day of joy” with “congratulations everywhere”, especially from social networks, explains Paula’s father, Ezequiel Báñez, in statements to Europa Press.
The mother and little Paula have thanked in an Instagram video all the help and support received, in which you can see the exultant faces of both for finally being able to give this great news that they were waiting for. “Thanks to each one of the people who have been there, who have overcome their fear of needles and have become a donor”, they publish in an emotional message, “there will be no lives to pay for everything you have done for our little girl”, apostille the text.
The little girl’s father explained that on July 12 they will attend the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville so that Paula can undergo the analysis and hold the first meeting with the transplant coordinator and the doctor who will carry it out. In addition, a series of tests will be carried out before the operation, which is expected to be “at the beginning of August” since “the doctors want to do it as soon as possible.”
Likewise, Ezequiel Báñez has thanked “all the support” and the donations made to help Paula, which has made them grow “exponentially”. In this sense, he explained that two people from Almonte who are close to his family and who had donated thanks to the campaign have received a call to tell them that they are compatible with another marrow “in other parts” of the country and they are going to help other people to overcome his illness.
For this reason, he has reviewed the “repercussion” that this campaign has had, pointing out that “surely more donations have come out for other people, but we have not found out”, for which he has indicated that “little by little there is more awareness and more donations”.
“Being a donor can help you save a life and does not pose any harm to the health of the person who donates and the cells regenerate very quickly”, he remarked before requesting that “there be more and more donations and the push started in raising people’s awareness and that donors transmit to their environment that they become a donor because it is necessary and donating bone marrow is something innocuous”.
Finally, Ezequiel Báñez thanked “all the people who have been involved with the campaign and who have donated” who have participated so that a compatible donor for Paula could be found.
On November 2, 2022, Paula was admitted to the Juan Ramón Jiménez de Huelva Hospital diagnosed with leukemia and for several months she remained hospitalized receiving her chemotherapy treatment. Since then, the little girl has been going in and out of the hospital to continue with her treatments.
Thus, the family began a campaign on social networks requesting “the maximum collaboration of citizens” so that they come to donate bone marrow, “a simple donation”, since “it is like donating blood” and thus find a compatible marrow “as soon as possible”. After that, Huelva society and its municipalities turned to numerous events to collect these donations, something that this June has been achieved.
