5-year-old boy battling cancer needed a stem cell match, 4,855 people lined up in the rain

In December 2018, doctors told Olivia Saxelby and Jamie Lee that their five-year-old boy, Oscar Saxelby-Lee, had only three months to live. He was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare and aggressive cancer that causes the bone marrow to release immature white blood cells. Doctors cautioned that Oscar immediately required a “stem cell transplant” to survive. Pitmaston Primary School in Worcester, where Oscar studied, came forward to organize a stem cell donation drive. On the due date, event organizers were stunned as a whopping 4,855 people showed up at the venue, reported The New York Times.

“What a fantastic turnout for our little warrior and those in need of a stem cell transplant,” Jamie, Oscar’s father, wrote on Facebook. “This gives us more and more hope in finding a match for our Ozzy Bear.” Describing the scene of the event, Sue Bladen, the school’s business manager, told The New York Times, “People queued around the block, in the pouring rain, and nobody moaned about it. The spirit we had here was absolutely incredible, the generosity of people.”

Learning how so many people had stepped up for Oscar’s cause, Jamie and Olivia took a short leave from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where Oscar was hospitalized, and visited the school to thank the donors in the crowd. He was first admitted to the hospital as soon as his blood test reports turned out to be abnormal with a platelet count of just 14. After this, the boy had to go through a rigorous protocol of intense chemotherapy to terminate the leukemia blasts in his blood, as mentioned on the crowdfunding page that Oscar’s school created to help raise for his treatment. Till now, over 720 supporters have donated a sum totaling £23,890 ($31,952).

Like the fundraising campaign, the stem cell donation drive was also organized by the school. “We decided we would do whatever it takes to find a donor for Oscar,” Sue told The New York Times. The school then partnered with DKMS, an international nonprofit organization focused on finding donors for blood cancer patients to organize this event. “Anyone aged 17 to 55 was eligible to come in and register as a donor,” said Sue. Over 200 volunteers registered their names to contribute their services to the event.

And even after the record-breaking donor drive was over, registrations didn’t stop coming. “Incredible to hear that another 1,000 people registered with DKMS online last weekend,” which raised the total number to 5,800, Kate Wilcock, the head teacher at Pitmaston Primary, said on X.

A few months later, Sue posted an update on the crowdfunding page, “Amazing news today - Oscar has a match and is now awaiting a stem cell transplant. Oscar has a long way to go but is now on the next stage of his journey.” But soon after, the happy update was followed by heartbreaking news. “The heartbreaking news that there is no further curative treatment for Oscar available on the NHS means that we have no other choice but to desperately and urgently seek your help once again to save Oscar. Oscar desperately needs in the region of £500,000 ($668,000) to access treatment in Singapore.” She appealed to people to donate money via Virgin Money.

Although the page features no further update, BBC reported in June 2023 that Oscar became cancer-free more than two years earlier. After the support of thousands of people, his parents were able to raise more than £700,000 ($935,000) to help him with his treatment. The little boy is now a grown-up and also a big brother.