Church and Islamic centre in joint appeal for sick child

A United Reform Church in Bournemouth yesterday joined forces with an Islamic Centre to launch an appeal for mixed-race bone marrow donors on behalf of a young Muslim boy diagnosed with a rare life-threatening genetic disorder. Five-year-old Adam Fansa, from Worthing in West Sussex, has X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome - or Duncan's Syndrome. His main hope for a cure is a transplant and is now being fed by tube. His background makes him particularly difficult to match. His parents are of Syrian origin but his mother also has Scandinavian ancestry. Minister Donald Norwood from the Richmond Hill United Reformed church said his community became involved in the appeal because they are next door to the Bournemouth Islamic Centre. He said he hoped hoped the joint appeal by the two centres would help create greater impact and awareness. A spokeswoman for the Anthony Nolan Trust, the charity behind the appeal, said: "As tissue types are inherited genetic characteristics, a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant is most likely to discover a suitable donor among groups of people who share a similar genetic history." She noted that fewer than 3% of donors registered with the trust are Asian, making it very difficult to find donors for patients who are of mixed parentage. Anyone who might be able to help is being urged to contact the Anthony Nolan Trust at: www.anthonynolan.org.uk