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Aimee – May 2004
May 31st 2004
To Aimee from the many Fairy Artists from around the World who have been touched by the story of your special love of fairies you have a special place in our hearts that our wishes may come true for you, as well as your wishes too.
Meet Aimee Butler – a very special friend to the fairies.
Aimee is suffering from leukaemia for the second time in her young life.
(please read the letter to all fairy believers and artists from Aimee’s mother below)
Aimee is a true believer in fairies and her love of fairy folklore fills her world. Together with her brother older Leigh, Aimee enjoys all kind of magical books, games and films from the tales of Han Christian Anderson to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy with its own stunning artworks.
Thank you to Aimee’s honorary grandparents John and Rosemary Richardson who told us about Aimee and to Aimee’s Mum for all her letters to us.
Letter from Aimee’s mother
Bringing Magic into Aimee’s Life
Aimee is fighting leukaemia for the second time in her young life. The disease acute lymphoblastic leukaemia the most common type of childhood leukaemia – first reared its head in 2000 when she was just five. Following two and half years of gruelling chemotherapy and almost a year off treatment, Aimee and her family thought the disease was finally behind them. They had celebrated the best Christmas that the family had enjoyed for some time, when they were devastated with the news a few days later at the beginning of 2004 that the leukaemia had came back.
In a tribute to fairies world Aimee’s mum Rosie said: “Without the love and continuing support of David and Myrea at Fairies World, and their many artists friends and supporters Aimee” spirit would have greatly dimmed over the last weeks and months. After David’s call to help send Aimee fairy kisses and fairy pictures to cheer her throughout the long days of treatment and recovery our house is filled with fairy pictures and figures. If you pause for a second you can almost feel the beat of fairy wings on your cheek.
While treating childhood leukaemia is considered one of cancers great success stories with cure rates of up to 85%, doctors are still trying to understand why one in four children with the disease will suffer a relapse. Children like Aimee, who relapse, face a tough time in trying to beat the disease a second time, either through more years of chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant.
With a rare tissue type Aimee still needs to find a bone marrow donor before a transplant can take place.
Aimee has courageously fought the disease through 18 weeks of aggressive chemotherapy and its side effects to bring the disease under sufficient control to give a bone marrow transplant the chance of success. Vulnerability to infection during the chemotherapy places an added burden of the immune system and Aimee has also fought against various infections including pneumonia, chicken pox and a tummy bug.
Throughout her illness Aimee has also depended on regular blood and platelet transfusions to offset the effects of the leukaemia and the side effects of the chemotherapy. It is likely that blood donors who subsequently opt to become bone marrow donors could hold the key to finding a match for Aimee and hundreds like her adults and children – who battle this terrible disease.
As medical staff repeatedly search some 50 bone marrow registers around the world for a potential bone marrow match Aimee’s mother, Rosie Butler, has approached the Scottish National Blood Bank to explore further ways of helping Aimee.
As a result of these discussions with staff in the Scottish National Blood Bank Aimee’s plight in searching for a bone marrow donor is set to become a feature of National Blood Donor week which runs in Scotland from Monday June 8th. A local campaign to encourage blood donors to consider becoming bone marrow donors will also be launched with a possibility of rolling the campaign across Scotland.
In the meantime Aimee is undergoing regular chemotherapy to keep the disease at bay until a bone marrow transplant can be performed.
If anyone who is touched by Aimee’s story and they want to help her and other youngsters like her Rosie asks that you get in touch with your local blood bank and find out about becoming a blood donor and possibly a bone marrow donor.
Rosie Butler
