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.
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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.
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“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.”
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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.
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“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.
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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
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”