Tough little tot nominated for Champions award (From Croydon Guardian)

Tough little tot nominated for Champions award

4:20pm Friday 18th June 2010 in Croydon Champions By Kirsty Whalley

A tough little toddler bravely battling leukaemia has been nominated as a child of courage in this year’s Croydon Champions awards.

Two-year-old Nevaeh Green was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (All) on New Year’s eve.

Since then she has been undergoing intensive chemotherapy to fight the cancer. She is in remission but will have to undergo the treatment for the next two years to keep the disease at bay.

Nevaeh has a loving older sister and brother Kyra, 12, and Trenae, 9.

Her mother Charmaine, 33, said: “This is Nevaeh’s fight, we are along to help her. When I see her being so courageous, I cannot be anything other than brave for her.”

In the next couple of weeks Nevaeh will have two lumbar punctures - needles inserted into her spine to check for signs of cancer cells.

She is undergoing daily chemotherapy which makes her sick and she has lost all of her hair. Despite all of this the bouncing baby girl is as cheerful as ever.

Her mum said: ““Nevaeh is a tough little cookie. She is a little diamond, she never whinges.

”As I talk to you now she is driving around my front room on her scooter, which she knows she is not allowed to do because she still has the needle in her arm for the chemotherapy. She has also been bouncing on the trampoline, but just half an hour ago she was being sick.”

Nevaeh is responding well to the treatment she is being given, but her mother fears that in the future she may need a bone marrow donor.

Due to the desperate shortage of donors within the black, mixed race and ethnic minority communities, Nevaeh only has a one in 100,000 chance of finding a bone marrow match, compared to around one in five if she was white.

The single mum of three has asked Croydon cancer charity ACLT to help her appeal for donors to come forward.

She said: “Please come down to the ACLT’s drive and listen to the facts about becoming a donor. You could have the potential to give the greatest gift of all to someone, the gift of life, and it’s free.”

The ACLT are holding a Super Donation Day event at the Choice FM Studios, Global Radio, 30 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LA on Saturday June 26 from 11am until 4pm.

Nominate your hero for a Croydon Champions award using the nomination form on this website.