The family of a Wandsworth schoolgirl have launched an urgent appeal for more people to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register, after she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder.
Sahara, a talented artist and musician, collapsed three days after her 13th birthday. Following emergency tests, she was diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia, a life-threatening blood disorder where bone marrow doesn’t produce enough new blood cells and platelets.
Sahara has Black Caribbean heritage as both her sets of grandparents were from Grenada. Black people are more likely to have unique tissue types (the collection of genes used to match patients and donors for transplant); this means it is harder to find fully matched unrelated donors for them.
That’s why her family are asking those eligible to sign up to the stem cell register, especially young people with Black heritage. The more people with Black heritage there are on the stem cell register, the better chances Black patients, like Sahara, have of finding their lifesaving match.
Since her diagnosis in April 2025, Sahara has had multiple blood and platelet transfusions. The teenager is currently receiving treatment at St George’s Hospital in Tooting and St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
Sahara’s mum Satisha Archibald, 47 said: “I can only describe the last two months as two things: an alternate universe and hell on earth. To say it’s been a challenge is putting it mildly and now we’re potentially going down a road that we were not prepared for but don’t have a choice for either.”
Since the news of Sahara’s diagnosis, the family have been through ups and downs. Satisha said: “I was told not to worry because there were two donors and they’re both 10/10 matches. So, we were ecstatic.”
Unfortunately, the family were then told both donor options had fallen through. Satisha describes the current situation of looking for a new donor for her daughter who is an only child and therefore won’t have a stem cell donor match through a sibling as, “trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
Because there is no matching stem cell donor available Sahara will now have anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) treatment to help suppress her immune system, this treatment aims to allow the bone marrow to recover and produce healthy blood cells.
Satisha said, “Sahara needs a transplant as soon as possible. We have been told that there’s a 60 to 70 percent that the ATG will work but that’s just to manage the severe aplastic anaemia. The stem cell transplant is the only way to cure her.”
Talking about her daughter’s creative talents Satisha said, “Sahara is an artist and at the age of 10 she had one of her pieces in Parliament and she has also seen her artwork displayed on a billboard for NSPCC all around London. She writes stories, she writes poetry, she plays guitar and violin. She’s an all-round creative. Her aim is to study at BRIT School.”
Satisha has given up her work as a clinic manager to look after Sahara full time and is working with Anthony Nolan to raise awareness of the stem cell register and encourage more people to sign up, especially those with Black Caribbean heritage like Sahara.
Elana McIntyre, senior engagement manager at Anthony Nolan, says:
“For Black patients, like Sahara, the sad reality is that finding a match can be more difficult because they are more likely to have rare tissue types. Equity is an important focus of our work, and our teams work around the clock to support patients with no suitable matches on the stem cell register.
“We work in the community, and with partners, to spread the word about stem cell donation because it’s vital more young people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds sign up. Every single person that signs up to the Anthony Nolan register could give a patient like Sahara a second chance at life and the opportunity to thrive.”
Anthony Nolan is partnered with ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust), an inspiring charity committed to giving hope to people with blood cancer in need of a stem cell transplant.
