One of Greater Manchester’s most glamorous restaurants will be hosting an emergency stem cell donor drive this week.
Menagerie will be inviting people to come down and register as a donor with DKMS, as a Manchester family scrambles to find a match for their little boy.
Four-year-old Dillan Ramsey-Aksehir was diagnosed with Leukaemia just before his second birthday and has been receiving treatment ever since.
But in a tragic turn of events last month, and only 24 hours after being told he could finish his treatment early, Dillan’s parents were told the cancer had spread to the tiny tot’s spine.
Dillan’s family have raised thousands of pounds to buy toys for children’s wards since he was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Credit: Amy Ramsey
The beautiful little boy now urgently needs a bone marrow transplant, and no match has been found on the existing UK stem cell donor database.
Those who are interested in registering as a stem cell donor can request a home swab pack online, or pop in to Menagerie at One New Bailey in Salford between 9am and 3pm on Wednesday 31 August.
The restaurant and bar will have trained staff from DKMS on hand to carry out the painless cheek swabs and process the samples.
Those who are a match will hear from the charity within weeks to follow with the next steps – all costs are covered by DKMS.
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Credit: Menagerie
Dillan’s mum is documenting his progress on Instagram – you can follow them at @amy_rambo.
She said: “I am BEGGING you on my knees to please register your DNA to @dkms_uk , it takes 2 minutes to swab your mouth and it’s free post to send it back off. The test kit takes a few weeks to be sent out so please immediately post it back off. We have 2-3 months to find a match.
“Dillan has a 50% chance of survival if this works, it has to work. Please please share and encourage everyone you know to register to @dkms_uk.”
Featured image: Amy_Rambo
News
Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Daisy Jackson -
30th August 2022 
