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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
Everything you need to know about watching the solar eclipse in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
People all across the UK will be able to see an almost total solar eclipse in the sky tomorrow evening.
For the first time this century, with the last one being all the way back in 1999, people in the UK and Ireland – including here in Greater Manchester – will get to see 90-96% of the sun covered by the moon tomorrow (12 August 2026), and if that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, this will be the last chance to do so until 2081.
NASA and Royal Museums Greenwich has confirmed that tomorrow’s solar eclipse will be the most coverage seen from the UK and Ireland since the 1999 event.
But what can astronomy fans in Greater Manchester expect from tomorrow’s eclipse? When will it be happening? How much coverage is our region going to see? And where are some of the best places to watch?
First up, let’s get the basics out the way – what is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun’s light either partly or fully.
Although the UK will only see a partial solar eclipse this time, some other countries – such as parts of Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Greenland – will be lucky enough to witness the spectacle of a total eclipse for a duration of up to two minutes and 18 seconds.
When will it be happening?
The eclipse is set to start at 6:13pm in Greater Manchester, and will run right through to 8:03pm – with the peak happening at 7:10pm.
How much coverage can Greater Manchester expect?
Of course, we always have to preface anything we say about astronomical events like this by saying ‘it depends on the weather’, as we do like in the North West after all, and even though it is the height of summer, that won’t stop the skies from being overcast.
Luckily though, the Met Office is predicting some of the best weather conditions for an event like this in a long time, so it really is worth watching.
Spectators in Manchester will see 91.9% coverage, according to expert sources.
Where are some of the best places to watch the solar eclipse in Greater Manchester?
As a general rule, any open and elevated position with a view to the West will be the best place to catch a glimpse of this rare spectacle.
But across Greater Manchester, we have plenty of those, so some of the most recommended places to see the solar eclipse include Werneth Low, Rivington Pike, or even Salford Quays. There are also a number of dedicated viewing events happening in places like Heaton Park, Platt Fields Park, and Barton Aerodrome to make the most of.
How can I watch the eclipse safely?
If there’s one thing experts are stressing, it’s the need to take correct precautions if you are planning to watch tomorrow.
The most important thing is to wear eclipse glasses and avoid looking directly at the sun.
It’s true that during an eclipse, the sun does appears dimmer therefore making it easier to look at directly, however solar radiation can still reach and damage the retina, often without causing any pain, so you may not realise harm is occurring until it’s too late.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises that there are two safe approaches – specialist eclipse viewers, or indirect viewing methods.
Eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers must be genuine, sold by a reputable retailer, and have specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). They must also have no scratches, tearing, or damage to the lens.
Old pairs may not be reusable, and sunglasses should never be used.
Indirect view methods include viewing the sun’s image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves on to white paper, or using a pinhole pierced in one sheet of card and projected on to another.
Featured Image – Mathew Schwartz (via Unsplash)
News
A rare piglet born at Chester Zoo could help save an entire species from extinction
Danny Jones
A very cute and rare new arrival at Chester Zoo could potentially save the animal’s future, and she might just be one of the cutest little piglets we’ve ever seen.
Say hello to Rana.
A tiny ‘babirusa’ – also sometimes referred to as the ‘pig-deer’ – Rana is an indigenous species found on just four small Indonesian islands, and one which is sadly on the verge of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Part of the threat to the population is due to African Swine Fever (not to be confused with swine flu), which reached these islands around half a decade ago and could see these precious little pigs considered ‘critically endangered’ very soon. But Chester Zoo are working hard to prevent this outcome.
Born this summer, Rana is the baby of mother babirusa Matano, who was herself born at Chester Zoo over a decade ago.
Fast forward 11 years, and she has descendants living in zoos all across Europe, as well as a whole new generation of children here in the UK.
However, she is the first one born in some time, with this particular phylum only ever birthing one or two kids at a time as opposed to a litter like most other pigs.
Described as being like grapefruit “only with legs”, she may be small for now, but she’s growing fast and carries the weight of big hopes and expectations for the rest of her kind.
Chester Zoo conservationists are currently working with partners to protect wild babirusa populations through Action Indonesia‘s Global Species Management Plans.
Helping design camera-trapping projects to monitor babirusas on Sulawesi, and working with other organisations to locate and protect surviving numbers, the aim is to share conservation breeding expertise, with results so far having bred at least 17 babirusas towards national cooperative targets.
For context, only on two occasions were babirusas photographed in the wild during the entirety of 2023-24, hence why efforts have been ramped up even further over the past year or so.
Amy Humphreys, a conservationist at the zoo who is working with Action Indonesia, the country’s government and other groups to combat their decline and rescue this species, says we are in “a race against time” to save these omnivorous, ‘charismatic’ and intelligent pigs.
She goes on to add that “babirusas are important to island ecosystems as they drop seeds as they forage, helping forest regeneration, and they are a key indicator species for overall environmental health, but their situation is bleak.
“We risk losing a truly unique species, one that’s an important part of Indonesia’s cultural and natural heritage and one of the oldest pig species still living […] Rana’s arrival is worth celebrating; her birth is a chance to shine a light on babirusas and show people why they deserve protection.”
It’s uplifting and inspiring stories like this that constantly remind us why we’re fortunate we are to have the award-winning zoo and conservation centre in our region; and if you were wondering whether we’ll be booking a trip soon just in hopes of seeing little Rana running around, you’d be absolutely right.
Daisy Jackson -
9th August 2022 
