The Emily Ash Trust

Our mission statement

"The purpose of the Trust is to help improve the lives of children who are suffering from cancer. This is not isolated to helping the children directly, but also in improving the life
of the family unit or guardians who are supporting the child"

Peter Yates, Chairman

About The Trust
Emily is a little girl, a princess just like any other child until that desperate day in August 1999 when she was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Emily was only 5 when she was diagnosed. After 18 months into Emily's treatment she was rushed into Intensive Care and treated for septicaemia, her little body went into shut down, the family's whole world falling apart around them but little did they know this was just the start! After safely recovering from this setback, Emily returned to her treatment regime, finally going into remission in November 2001. Each day the family lived on a knife-edge never daring to allow themselves the luxury of believing it was all over. Emily returned to school and the family began making plans again.

Sadly in July 2002, just as the family was due to go on holiday for the first time in years; Emily suffered a relapse, which returned her back and forth to hospital. Once again the family were back in turmoil, never knowing what the next hour would bring, let alone the next day. Such a simple thing as planning a day out can be difficult and so unpredictable. Emily constantly had to check for infections, which very often returned her back to a hospital ward. This relapse had resulted in Emily needing a bone marrow transplant and the journey of finding a donor had begun.

For months to follow the family suffered unbearable uncertainty, as they were unable to find a donor match on either the UK or worldwide registers. Friends and family began the plight trying to recruit new donors together with The Anthony Nolan Trust. Thousands of other children and adults suffering from fatal bone marrow diseases desperately need help to survive. If your tissue type matches one of these patients you could be the only person who could save their life. It was with great relief that a match was found for Emily and her transplant went ahead in January 2003. The devastation such illnesses can cause to a family is heart rendering. Because close family and friends saw no way of helping medically, it was agreed to launch the Emily Ash Trust in 2002.