Brave Donna loses her long battle for life

Donna Benjamin’s family was by her side when she died at Keech Hospice Care on March 19.

Her devastated daughter Jessica, 23, said: “Her struggle is over now. But I’ve lost my mother, my sister, my friend.”

Donna, a former management accountant at the Luton&Dunstable hospital, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2003.

Although her own search for a perfect match proved unsuccessful, she put her heart and soul into helping the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) increase the number of people registering.

She fronted appeals, took part in the Channel 4 documentary Saving DJ Swing and appeared on the Paul O’Grady Show to raise awareness about the desperate need for potential donors.

But the figures are still heartbreakingly shy of what’s needed. The chance of someone from a black or mixed race background receiving a matching bone barrow donor is 40 percent. The figure jumps to 90 percent for anyone of white British descent.

ACLT spokesperson Ronke Ige described Donna’s death as “another sad yet preventable tale.”
She added: “The tragic turn of events is compounded by the simple fact that had a perfect matching donor been found, Donna would probably still be living life among her family and friends.”

Jessica said: “We were told two months ago that there was nothing else they could do for my Mum.

“But she was very aware and very positive right until the end. She never complained and we had such fun together.

“I’m going to miss her laughter, her love of life and her compassion for other people.”

Donna’s funeral takes place at Dunstable’s Priory Church at 1.30pm on Thursday, April 4.

The family are appealing for photos to put on a memory board. If you can help, please bring them to the church.

> Contact ACLT at http://www.aclt.org