A woman with
leukaemia at the centre of a campaign to allow her donor Nigerian sister to
come to the UK has died.
Martha
Williams, 26, travelled to the UK to donate stem cells to 24-year-old May
Brown.
The Home
Office reversed a decision not to issue Ms Williams a visa after more than
60,000 signed an online petition.
The
transplant was deemed a success in March. But the African Caribbean Leukaemia
Trust (ACLT) said Mrs Brown died on Friday following a relapse.
It added she
passed away “surrounded by her loved ones”.
The
operation was postponed from December to January after Mrs Brown, from
Weymouth, became unwell with a virus and required further chemotherapy, ACLT
said.
However,
ACLT co-founder Beverley De-Gale said Mrs Brown relapsed in April.
“The
leukaemia came back and it came back very aggressively.
“The doctors
tried again to get May back into remission but sadly the leukaemia was too
strong.”
She added
she felt the delay in Ms Williams getting a visa may have contributed to Mrs
Brown’s death.
“You never
know with any cancer what way it’s going to go but any delay is never going to
help the situation.
“I sadly
have to say that could be a possibility but I am not a medical expert.”
Mrs Brown
was diagnosed with leukaemia in July 2015.
She had been
told her only chance of survival was an urgent stem-cell transplant.
Her sister
Martha was a “10 out of 10” tissue match.
ACLT said Ms
Williams was initially refused a UK visa because her teacher’s salary of £222
per month was too low.
Mrs Brown is
survived by her husband Mike and two-year-old daughter Selina-May.
Paying
tribute to his wife, Mr Brown said: “May will forever be remembered in our
hearts.
“She was a
strong, beautiful, supportive, wonderful wife and mother. Selina and I will
truly miss her.”
In a
statement, the Home Office said Ms Williams’ visa was issued on compassionate
grounds on 21 October.
A spokesman
said the visa was initially refused on 5 October because she did not meet the
requirements of the immigration rules.
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