A SOUTHAMPTON school girl is urging people to donate stem cells after her cousin was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Elle Holdaway, 11, is asking for anyone aged 16 to 30-years-old to sign up to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register to potentially save the lives of patients like her cousin.

Simon, a 50-year-old builder, was at work when he noticed strange and heavy bruising.

The discolouration had appeared from nowhere and Simon took himself to hospital to get it checked out.

He was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in November 2022 and has spent all but one week in hospital since.

He is being treated at University Hospital Southampton.

AML is a type of blood cancer where cells in the bone marrow produce too many white blood cells, filling up the bone marrow and preventing it from producing healthy blood cells.

AML develops fast and needs treatment as soon as possible.

Elle, who is in Year 6, is urging people to sign up to the stem cell register.

Elle said: “Simon is such a lovely man and has benefited from many blood transfusions. The people who donate are angels.

"I just wish I was old enough to donate and that my parents were young enough to sign up with Anthony Nolan”.

She added: “But Simon is only one of many people who needs help, so if you are able to, please sign up to the register.

"Saving someone’s life is possibly the best thing anyone could do in their life.”

Elle was previously BBC Radio Solent Young Achiever of the Year Award winner for her work helping the homeless.

Anthony Nolan especially needs more young men to sign up, as they are most likely to be chosen to donate – male donors aged under 30 are 13 times more likely to be selected for donation than other people on the UK aligned registry.

Henny Braund MBE, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “Signing to the register could help Simon and many sufferers.

"People who are willing to sign up to our register will mean so much to Elle and her family.

“Anyone looking to join the stem cell register or donate blood only has to fill in a short form online.

"After that, they’ll receive a cheek swab in the post which should be returned to Anthony Nolan.

"Once swabs are in Anthony Nolan’s lab, donors will get an email and donor card in the post. Becoming a lifesaver is that easy.”

To find about more about joining the Anthony Nolan register visit www.anthonynolan.org/signupforsimon.