Daniel's chances of finding a match were slim. They were 1 in 250,000.
In 1993, Daniel De-Gale was diagnosed with was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. At the end of March 1995 his parents Beverley De-Gale OBE and Orin Lewis OBE were told that Daniel was leukaemia free, and that the family should go home and get on with their lives.
However, 9 months later the blood cancer returned (Daniel relapsed) and Daniel’s parents were told that his best chance of survival would be to receive healthy donated stem cells from a donor.
Determined to find Daniel’s match, his parents decided to found the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust in 1996 and roll out media campaign to find Daniel his donor match.

This is our story and Daniel's journey to find his match...



A match donor was found...
Daniel suffered 2 relapses before, in 1999, a born-again Christian from Detroit, Michigan was found to be Daniel’s lifesaving donor. Doreene Carney listened to a presentation at her place of work, the US Postal Service, and immediately decided to join the US register.
On the 16th of June 1999 Daniel received 45-year-old Doreene’s donated stem cells and became the first black individual in the UK to receive a lifesaving stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. Six months later he went back to school, he was now 12 years of age.
Daniel De-Gale became the first black individual in the UK to receive a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. As a direct result of the transplant and the regular blood transfusions he received.
Daniel was finally free from blood cancer and lived a happy life for several years, he was able to …

In 2003 Daniel faced a set back in his health journey
He relapsed for a 3rd time and had to undergo further treatment. As a result, Daniel was taking various medications and required 3-5 units of blood on a weekly basis, leading to severe iron overload. Daniel then had to administer Desferal injections 6 days a week to remove the iron from his blood. Despite the challenges, Daniel persevered, maintaining a positive attitude and enjoying life with family and friends.
Although Daniel had beat cancer again his organs began to suffer the impact of the various treatments he had received over the years.
Sadly on October 8th, 2008, Daniel passed away from multiple organ failure due to complications with his health. Daniel's parents think he waited too long for a matching donor, leading to severe health complications.
28 years on, the ACLT is a 40+ award winning charity still committed to giving hope and gifting life.
The ACLT team are dedicated to diversifying donor registers and creating awareness around the lack of Black donors today. Just like Daniel, we believe everyone should be able to find their perfect donor match and live a long and happy life.