Kevin Kararwa Leukaemia Trust

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Kevin Kararwa Leukaemia Trust

We create awareness, educate, engage and offer support to those suffering from leukaemia and other blood cancers.

“Anyone can be a hero”

Since being established in 2015, KKLT has sought to engage with BAME (black & minority ethnic communities to raise awareness of Leukaemia, educate and inform the community about Stem Cell Donation (commonly known as bone marrow donation), and encourage individuals to join the stem cell registry. Our aim is to increase the number of potential stem cell donors in the registry thus increasing BME community’s survival rates. We have done this through delivering presentations, distributing information leaflets, use of social media, organising events, seeking speaking opportunities in various BAME community gatherings, and partnering with places of worship to talk and holding registration drives. More recently we have started to expand our services to include the distribution of food parcels and provide emotional and physical support to people with blood cancers and their families, thus reducing their isolation/loneliness and increasing their emotional and mental well-being.

13/11/2025

Today, let’s redefine kindness.
Kindness isn’t just a smile or a kind word, it’s a lifesaving act.
Be someone’s match.
Join the stem cell register.
Because sometimes, the kindest thing you can give… is a second chance at life.

👉 Register today: https://www.kkltrust.org/?page_id=6916

12/11/2025

👉 Stay informed.
⚖️ Facts & Myths About Leukaemia Medication.

11/11/2025

💔 Global Search for a Stem Cell Donor to Save 16-Year-Old Leo

Leo Sproson from Bromsgrove, Midlands, is fighting for his life after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. Having battled liver disease since age 12, his immune system is fragile and now, only a stem cell transplant can give him a second chance at life.

His parents, Jenna and Warren, have joined forces with the blood cancer charity DKMS, launching a worldwide appeal to find a matching donor.

“Leo has no siblings and is relying on the kindness of a complete stranger,” says Jenna. “If we can’t find a match for Leo, maybe someone else’s life will be saved instead.”

Despite years of illness, Leo faces every day with humour and courage. His dad Warren calls him “my mini-me, my greatest joy”, urging people everywhere to join the stem cell register.

🩸 Every year, around 2,000 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant, yet many never find a match.
💫 The right person registering today could give Leo or someone like him their life back.

👉 Request a free swab kit > https://www.dkms.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-donor

10/11/2025

🎗️ Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL)

CLL is a slow-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It’s the most common type of leukaemia in adults, often developing gradually over years.

⚠️ Key Risks

While the exact cause of CLL isn’t known, several factors can increase risk:

👵 Older age, most people diagnosed are over 70.

🚹 Being male, men are about twice as likely to develop CLL.

🧬 Family history, having a close relative with CLL or another blood cancer increases risk.

⚪ Ethnicity, more common in people of European ancestry; rare in Asian populations.

🧪 Chemical exposure, such as Agent Orange (linked to Vietnam veterans) and agricultural pesticides.

⚬ Possible immune system factors, though not fully understood, long-term immune dysfunction may contribute.

💡 Why This Matters

Raising awareness helps people recognise persistent fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, or weight loss, symptoms that might otherwise be overlooked.
Today, thanks to modern treatments like BTK inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, CLL can be managed effectively for long periods.

🌱 What You Can Do

✅ Encourage older adults to get regular blood checks, even if they feel well.
✅ Learn and share the early warning signs of blood cancers.
✅ Support CLL research and patient care programmes.
✅ Promote healthy living and awareness to reduce exposure to avoidable chemical risks.

07/11/2025

🎗️ Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML)
⚠️ Key Risks

While CML isn’t inherited, certain factors can increase the likelihood of developing it:

☢️ Exposure to high levels of radiation, such as atomic radiation or certain medical radiation treatments.

👨‍🦳 Older age - most people diagnosed are over 60.

🚹 Being male - slightly higher risk than in females.

⚬ Genetic mutation (BCR-ABL fusion gene) - occurs randomly in bone marrow cells, not passed down through families.

❌ No strong links to lifestyle or chemical exposure like smoking or diet.

💡 Why This Matters

CML used to be a life-threatening diagnosis but today, it can often be managed with a single daily pill (a targeted therapy known as a Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor or TKI). With early diagnosis and treatment, many people live long, healthy lives with CML.
However, awareness remains low and early symptoms can be subtle (fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, or enlarged spleen). Knowing these signs helps more people get diagnosed before complications arise.

🌱 What You Can Do

✅ Learn and share the early symptoms of CML.
✅ Encourage routine blood checks, many cases are found incidentally during blood tests.
✅ Support adherence: remind patients to take their TKI medication daily and attend follow-up monitoring.
✅ Raise awareness about treatment access, these life-saving drugs (like Imatinib, Nilotinib, Dasatinib) are available through the NHS.
✅ Stand with those living with CML, it’s no longer a death sentence, but a condition that can be managed.

06/11/2025

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)
⚠️ Key Risks

While the exact cause isn’t fully known, several factors can increase your risk of developing Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia:

☢️ Radiation exposure – before birth or during life (e.g., medical or environmental).

💉 Previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy – for another cancer.

🧬 Genetic conditions – such as Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, or Ataxia telangiectasia.

🧫 Weakened immune system – due to organ transplants, HIV, or certain medications.

👶 Young age – most common in children aged 2–5.

🚹 Being male – slightly higher risk compared to females.

💡 Why This Matters

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia develops quickly and can be life-threatening within weeks if untreated.
However, with early detection and modern treatment, cure rates in children are now as high as 90%.
Recognising risks and symptoms early (such as fatigue, frequent infections, bruising, or bone pain) can save lives.
By spreading awareness, we empower families, schools, and communities to seek help early and support ongoing research for better treatments.

🌱 What You Can Do

✅ Learn the signs and talk to your doctor if you notice persistent symptoms.
✅ Support regular health checks, especially for children who are unwell for unknown reasons.
✅ Avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.
✅ Support charities and research organisations working to find safer, more effective treatments.
✅ Share this post, awareness saves lives.

05/11/2025

🎗️ Understanding the triggers of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is crucial for early detection and prevention. Let's shed light on the risk factors.

🧬 What can raise the risk of AML?
⚠️ Smoking
⚠️ Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatment
⚠️ Environmental radiation exposure (e.g., nuclear sites)
⚠️ Chemical exposure such as benzene
⚠️ Certain blood disorders like Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
⚠️ Inherited genetic conditions
⚠️ Older age
⚠️ Being male

💡 Remember:
Having one or more risk factors does not mean you’ll develop AML and some people with no known risks still do. Risk factors simply make DNA damage more likely in blood-forming cells.

🌱 What can you do?

>Avoid smoking and chemical exposure where possible
>Maintain regular health checks if you’ve had prior cancer treatments
>Learn how cancer develops and stay informed about early warning signs
>Every small step towards awareness and prevention matters.

03/11/2025

PLEASE SHARE: Dean was ready to donate – now he needs a stem cell transplant 🚨
Dad of two Dean signed up to the stem cell donor register as a teenager, and was even shortlisted twice as a possible donor. An outdoors fan, Dean never thought he’d need a transplant himself, but despite his own aplastic anaemia diagnosis, the Army Officer is selflessly urging others to get involved.
When Dean first started feeling unwell, wife Nicole had to nag him to see a doctor. “Within 12 hours of having a blood test, I got a call saying I needed to go straight to A&E,” he explains. “Things escalated very quickly – I was in and out of hospital for blood tests and biopsies until my diagnosis in January.”
As Dean receives treatment, Nicole, shares how his diagnosis has impacted on their five year old daughter: “Whenever we meet new people, she always introduces herself and then says ‘my daddy has aplastic anaemia’. She’s also said to us that she wants to be a doctor so she can help other people who are unwell with it.”
Thankfully, possible matches for Dean have been identified – news he wants for other people with blood cancers and disorders.
“I’m so grateful to anyone who signs up. Until you are in the situation yourself or you know someone who needs a donor – maybe a wife, a mother, a brother or a daughter – you can’t really fully appreciate what it means that there are people willing to donate. To know people are even ready to overcome their own fears of needles or hospitals to save someone’s life – it’s a truly selfless act.”
Here’s how YOU can be a stem cell hero like Dean:
✅ Are you aged 17–55? Register today via dkms.org.uk/dean
✅ Share Dean’s story with your friends, family, and networks. Every share = hope for people waiting for their stem cell match.
⏳ Please act today.

03/11/2025

🔴 Get Informed: Understanding blood cancers can save lives. Learn about the different types and how they impact individuals.
Join us in spreading the word and supporting those living with blood cancers.

31/10/2025

⚠️ ALARMING DECLINE: GLOBAL STEM CELL DONOR NUMBERS ARE DROPPING ⚠️

🧬 Every year, thousands of patients with blood cancer or blood disorders depend on one thing — a matching stem cell donor. But here’s the truth we can’t ignore:

💔 Stem cell donor registrations are falling sharply worldwide.
📉 Despite over 44 million registered donors, the number of new and active donors is declining especially among young people under 40, who are the most likely to be chosen to save a life.

Why does this matter?
👉 Because patients’ survival often depends on a younger, healthier match.
👉 Because for many people particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds finding a match is already extremely difficult.
👉 Because every missed registration means another patient waiting… and hoping.

🌍 The world doesn’t need fewer donors, it needs more of you.
💪 A simple cheek swab today could give someone a second chance at life.

🩸 Let’s reverse the decline.
Join the registry. Spread the word.
Be the reason someone lives.
Check your eligibility now > https://www.dkms.org.uk/register-now

29/10/2025

Toddler with Rare Blood Disorder in Urgent Need of Stem Cell Donor

A two-year-old boy who has spent most of his life in hospital is in desperate need of a stem cell transplant to survive.

Maison was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS), a rare and life-threatening genetic blood disorder, when he was just one year old. The condition severely weakens the immune system and affects the body’s ability to clot blood, causing symptoms such as easy bruising, eczema, bloody diarrhoea, and prolonged bleeding even from minor injuries.

WAS almost exclusively affects boys, around three in every million worldwide, because it is caused by an error in a gene on the X chromosome. While females have two X chromosomes (one acting as a backup), males have only one, leaving them more vulnerable to the disorder.

Due to the seriousness of his condition, Maison cannot play with other children and has spent much of his young life receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Doctors have now told his parents, Stella and Elsi, that a stem cell transplant is his only chance of survival.

“This is one of those things you think only happens to people on TV,” Stella said.

The family, who are of Greek and Albanian heritage, have partnered with Anthony Nolan to launch the campaign. They are urgently appealing to 16–30-year-olds to join the stem cell register and give children like Maison a second chance at life.

Stella, who left her job as a hairdresser to care for her son, said:

“We’re taking things day by day. All we can do is be there for Maison and hope that one day we can start to rebuild our lives.”

She recalls how the first signs of illness appeared when Maison had an allergic reaction to food. “I thought it might just be eczema because of the spots all over his body,” she said. “Then doctors mentioned a possible blood infection. The tests were so hard on him—he doesn’t understand why he has to go through all this. Sometimes he cries so much he passes out. It’s heartbreaking.”

Maison’s grandfather, Dee, said the last 18 months have been extremely difficult for the whole family.

“We want to raise awareness not only about Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome but also about stem cell donation. Joining the register could save someone’s life,” he said.
“If you’re aged 16–30, please sign up. You could be the match that saves a child like Maison.”

For more info regarding stem cell donation > https://www.kkltrust.org/?page_id=6916

29/10/2025

If you are aged 16-55, please sign up to the stem cell registry. You could be the match that saves the life of someone. Your age, location and current health status are important.
Check to see if you can become a potential donor > https://www.dkms.org.uk/register-now

Address

233 Cantebury Road
Morden
SM46QB

Telephone

+447939204183

Website

http://www.kkltrust.org/

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