Cancer sufferer Ulrika overwhelmed by stem cell donation offers

A young Solihull woman who is suffering from a rare type of cancer says she has been astonished by the amount of people who have come forward to try to help save her life.

Ulrika Dandekar, aged 21, was recently given the devastating news that she has a rare type of blood cancer called Anaplastic Lymphoma. Her only hope is to find a stem cell transplant.

After discovering her own family were not donor matches, Ulrika launched her own global search last week to find a stem cell from elsewhere.

The Birmingham Mail revealed her plight and Ulrika said that since then she has been inundated with messages from people who have registered to become a possible match.

I have been astonished by the amount of people who have said they have registered, people who I dont even know. I have been very overwhelmed, said Ulrika, who has launched her campaign to coincide with National Transplant Week.

There is just one in 125,000 likelihood of Ulrika finding a match because of her Asian background.

When you are in my position, desperately in need of a donor, and you are told the statistics its devastating, added Ulrika, who dreams of becoming a doctor.

I have a six per cent chance of surviving. When I found this out I couldnt stop crying... you start wondering whether you will get better.

Ulrikas nightmare first began in February this year. She found a lump in her armpit and at first thought nothing of it, but decided to get it checked out by her GP.

Her symptoms gradually became worse and the lump grew bigger.

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Cancer sufferer Ulrika overwhelmed by stem cell donation offers