When Kiani was diagnosed with leukaemia, blood donors were ready to help.

Kiani is a mermaid-loving 4-year-old and proud ‘mum’ to her 15 toy dolls. She loves swimming, going to kindergarten and playing with her friends. Kiani is also one of hundreds of Australian children diagnosed with leukaemia each year. For parents Olivia and Lee, the diagnosis was devastating, but their daughter is getting the care she needs and they’re already planning for a future where Kiani is cancer free.

A lot has changed since Kiani’s diagnosis, but Olivia still remembers the doctor’s call that turned everything upside down, "His voice was shaking, and he said he’d never had to deliver this kind of news before. He said that a few things had shown up on the blood tests and we had to go straight to the Royal Children’s Hospital."

Chemo and the kindness of strangers

Like most leukaemia patients, Kiani has been receiving chemotherapy to help fight her cancer. But while chemo is great at killing cancer cells, it kills an awful lot of normal cells in the process. To keep Kiani healthy enough to continue treatment, she has received dozens of blood product transfusions, including red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and a special immune boosting medication known as IVIG.

Before Kiani’s diagnosis, her parents had no idea just how vital blood donations were for cancer treatment, but that all changed when they saw how a transfusion could bring the colour back to their daughter’s face. Olivia knows she’ll never be able to thank the strangers who saved Kiani’s life, but every time her daughter receives a transfusion, she looks at the blood bag and tries to imagine the ‘kind soul’ who gave a part of themselves to help her daughter.

Kiani still has a long journey ahead of her, but she’s not the only one. If you’d like to do your bit to help the hundreds of children diagnosed with leukaemia each year, giving blood is a great place to start. To book a donation follow the links below.

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