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'Outpouring of love' for Corby girl, 5, with rare cancer

Family Handout Florence Bark in HospitalFamily Handout
Florence Bark was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, which only affects 100 children a year

The family of a five-year-old girl with a rare form of cancer said there has been an "outpouring of love and kindness" from the public.

Last month, Florence Bark from Corby, Northamptonshire, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and she will need a bone marrow transplant.

A fundraising page for more treatment should the transplant not work has raised more than £75,000 in four days.

Florence's father Andy Bark said: "We don't have the words to thank people."

According to charity Blood Cancer UK, only 100 children in the UK are diagnosed with AML every year.

Family Handout Florence Bark at home and in HospitalFamily Handout
Florence's family describe the five-year-old as smart and kind

Mr Bark said his daughter became ill at the beginning of last month and was diagnosed with AML on 13 May, which he said was a "huge shock".

Two weeks into her treatment, Florence was found to be in the "high risk" category - and further genetic testing confirmed a rare gene rearrangement that affects less than 10% of children with AML, Mr Bark said.

He told BBC Radio Northampton that at the moment Florence does not have a bone marrow donor match.

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Acute myeloid leukaemia

  • AML is a cancer of the myeloid white blood cells, which fight bacterial infections, defend against parasites and prevent the spread of tissue damage.
  • The symptoms of AML usually develop over a few weeks and become worse over time.
  • It is not clear exactly what causes AML and, in most cases, there's no identifiable cause.
  • The condition is most common in people over 75.

Source: NHS

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Mr Bark said he was initially did not want make his daughter's case public, saying the family "wanted to safeguard" Florence.

But on Saturday they issued an appeal on social media and created a fundraising page.

"We needed help from people, we need donors and money for potentially life-saving treatment," he said.

Family Handout Florence Bark in Hospital with ElaiyaFamily Handout
Florence (in blue) has bonded with Elaiya, who is also from Northamptonshire and has the same condition

Mr Bark said: "Especially when the chips are down people in Corby just rally around like you wouldn't believe.

"It's just unbelievable the outpouring of love and kindness and people are donating and signing up to be bone marrow donors."

Florence is on a ward at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, alongside 18-month-old Elaiya, also from Northamptonshire, who has the same condition.

Mr Bark said the two girls "need exactly the same thing" and urged people to register to become bone marrow donors.

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