A mum from Manchester is pleading for people to register their DNA as she hunts for a bone marrow transplant for her toddler.
Hundreds of people, including celebs like Michelle Keegan, have rallied around to share Amy Ramsey’s appeal for her little boy Dillan, 3.
Over the weekend, Amy, 35, announced the devastating news that Dillan’s Leukaemia has returned.
The tiny tot has already been receiving treatment for the blood cancer for two years after he was diagnosed just before his second birthday.
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 family have been told that Dillan will need a bone marrow transplant and is being put on a gruelling treatment programme immediately, including full-body radiation and chemotherapy.
If he can find a donor match – and as he has mixed ethnicity, it’s more complicated than some cases – he will have a 50% chance of survival, Amy wrote.
Michelle Keegan told her six million followers on Instagram today: “He’s in urgent, urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. So we’re trying to get as many people as we can to register for a free swab kit.
“Please please tell your family, tell your friends, and let’s save Dillan’s life. Thank you.”
Mark Wright said in a video, encouraging people to register their DNA with DKMS: “They’ve now got just two to three months to find him a bone marrow donor to save his life – that donor could be you.
Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright have voiced their support for Amy and little Dillan, who has relapsed with Leukaemia. Credit: Instagram
“There is someone out there right now that could save Dillan’s life.”
Amy is originally from Manchester but now lives in London with her partner Ozzy and baby girl Aiyla.
She wrote on Instagram this week: “Today, we received the devastating and unimaginable news that Dillan’s Cancer has returned.”
The post continued: “We have gone from being on top of the world in shock, to completely devastated in shock. We were called into the hospital and told that Dillan will need to start treatment right away, and will need a bone marrow transplant.
Credit: Amy RamseyCredit: Amy RamseyDillan was diagnosed with Leukaemia just before his second birthday
“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.”
Amy then detailed the treatment that her son will face, saying: “Dillan will have to have his port taken out, and be replaced with a double Hickman line.
“He will need full body radiation, meaning he can’t have children, he will have Gruelling chemotherapy for 2-3 months before he has his transplant, which will hopefully get rid of his cancer before the new bone marrow is put in.
“He will lose all of his hair again, and have to move back into Great Ormond Street onto the transplant ward. Which means our family will once again be ripped apart.
“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.”
Since his diagnosis, Dillan’s family have raised tens of thousands of pounds to buy toys for children’s cancer wards.
Dilly’s Toy Factory has so far donated toys including a fleet of mini Mercedes wagons, which they’ve named the Great Ormond Street Fleet.
You can follow Amy and Dillan’s appeal on Instagram at @amy_rambo, and register your DNA for a donation at dkms.org.uk.
Featured image: Amy Ramsey
News
New free app launches to help people find the best nature spots in and around Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new free app has launched to help people find, discover, and visit nature on their doorstep.
Wildling is aiming to be a simple one-step solution to the growing mental health crisis and the urgent need to care for the natural world.
By helping people visit nature more easily, and giving them tools to truly connect with it at this same time, Wildling is well on its way to supporting personal wellbeing and the joy of easily discovering nature across the UK, all while nurturing a sense of care and action for the planet.
Supported by partners including the RSPB, Marine Conservation Society ,and Forestry England, and backed by advisors and environmentalists like Ben Goldsmith, Eden Project founder Tim Smit, and Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden, the new app brings the UK’s wild spaces and hidden green spots together in one place.
A new free app has launched to help people find the best nature spots in Manchester / Credit: Kitera Dent | Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
Featuring more than 1,500 locations across the country, from coastlines and woodlands, to nature reserves, the app also includes a wide range of tips to help you make your time in nature easier, more enjoyable, and more meaningful.
The app has been created with the input of research carried out by the University of Derby, based on responses from more than 68,000 adults across England over two years.
The study found that people who spend time in nature every day report up to 22% greater life satisfaction, 17% higher happiness, and an average uplift of around 19% in overall wellbeing, compared to those who rarely go out.
Regular time in nature was also found to have a ‘striking’ effect on pro-environmental behaviour too, according to the survey.
Wildling was created by impact entrepreneur Ant Rawlins who wanted to make accessing nature ‘easier’ for everyone.
“We wanted to give people the tools to engage with nature by making it genuinely easy to visit, by showing them nearby nature places and giving them everything they need to make it happen,” says Ant Rawlins commented.
Wildling connects Mancs to the outside world and all it has to offer / Credit: Sol Stock (Supplied)
Ant said the study shows that spending more time in nature just a nice idea, it makes you happier, increases your satisfaction with life, lifts your overall wellbeing, and encourages you to look after the world around you.
“That’s exactly why Wildling was created,” he concluded.
The Wildling app is available now to download for free through the App Store and Google Play, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Shironosov (Supplied)
News
Chester Zoo’s viral new snow leopard cub ventures outside for the first time
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo’s adorable baby snow leopard who went viral last week could very well be about to go viral again.
That’s because new footage of it venturing outside for the first time have been released.
After arriving to first-time parents Nubra and Yashin, who are both three-years-old, last month (10 June 2025), keepers at Chester Zoo said mum and cub had mostly spent their time quietly tucked away in a cosy den, away from the eyes of the onlooking public – but now, it’s time for the little one to see what the outside world is all about.
Now, at seven-weeks old, the cub has gained in strength and confidence, and experts expected that it could venture outside at ‘any moment’.
Zookeepers are still yet to confirm the sex of the cub, and will be able to do soon once it has undergone its first health check-up with the vets.
We can also expect to hear one the little one’s name is very soon too.
If you’re unfamiliar with snow leopards, they are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it’s believed there are as few as 4,000 now remaining in the wild.
Nicknamed the ‘ghosts of the mountains’, these elusive – but adorable – big cats are found in the rugged, remote regions of Central Asia and the Himalayas – but sadly, despite being known for living in desolate, harsh environments, they continue to face threats from habitat loss, climate change, poaching, and retaliatory killings by farmers.
Chester Zoo’s viral new snow leopard cub ventures outside for the first time / Credit: Chester Zoo
The cub’s birth follows the opening of Chester Zoo’s Himalayan habitat in May 2024, which is a vast, rocky environment that authentically recreates the mountainous terrain of Central Asia.
“This is the first snow leopard cub to be born at Chester Zoo,” commented Dave Hall, who is the Team Manager of carnivores at Chester Zoo, last week when the adorable hidden den cam footage was first released to the public.
“It’s a truly historic moment and a real cause for celebration – not just for our teams here, but also for the future of this magnificent species globally.”
Although it’s still early days, carnivore experts at the zoo say Nubra is showing ‘excellent maternal instincts’ by nursing her new arrival every few hours and always keeping close by.