I need to findsomeone like me to help save my life

Cancer sufferer in desperate search for stem cell donor

-  HELENA VESTY

A WOMAN who mistook cancer symptoms as the after effect of her gym routine is urgently searching for a stem cell donor after her illness relapsed.

Asia Sharif, 27, initially mistook the signs of her illness for gymrelated aches. Now, she is on an urgent mission to find a stem cell donor after her cancer came back.

Diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, Asia was considered in remission in April 2024 but soon faced the devastating news of a relapse.

The software engineer is originally from Liverpool but now lives in Deansgate in Manchester city centre.

She is undergoing chemotherapy at The Christie and has been told that a stem cell transplant could be critical for her survival. But her rare half-Somalian, half-Moroccan heritage, means finding a matching donor, should she need that transplant, is difficult.

In response to this, Asia, alongside the Anthony Nolan charity, has initiated the 'Register for Asia' campaign, aiming to motivate young individuals aged 16-30 from diverse backgrounds to join the stem cell registry.

"It can be harder for people like me, who are from minority ethnic backgrounds, to find a match, that's why I'm sharing my story, and hoping to inspire people to register," she urged earlier this year.