FAMILY and friends of a brave Colne woman are calling on East Lancashire people to help save her life.

Julie Patefield, 37, of Castle Road, was diagnosed with leukaemia two months ago, and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to rid her of the disease.

But her rare blood type means a donor has not been found, despite a worldwide search.

She is now relying on intensive chemotherapy to stay alive, and is facing Christmas away from her two young daughters, aged seven and three.

Now, friends and relatives are campaigning for people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan Register, the UK database for potential bone marrow donors.

Last night they handed out leaflets ahead of Burnley’s cup clash with Arsenal at Turf Moor and will be at stands in Burnley’s Charter Walk shopping centre during its late-night opening tomorrow, and at Tesco on Saturday.

They will be urging people to sign up in a donation drive next Thursday at Burnley Fire Station, where Julie’s husband Andy is a firefighter.

He said finding a donor was his wife’s only chance for a full recovery.

He said: “We don’t know whether the second lot of treatment has worked because we’re still waiting for the test results, but even if it does, she won’t be in remission forever. Eventually, she will need the transplant, and without it we just don’t know how long she’s got. The outlook’s very bleak.

“It’s heartbreaking for her to be away from the girls, especially over Christmas. This has all just come out of the blue. We’ve only known she’s ill for two months, and it’s a really terrible disease, but we’re all just trying to stay as positive as we can.”

Bone marrow donation is a much simpler process than when it was first performed, and donors can usually be back at work within days of the operation. To sign up to the register, people simply need to give a small blood sample.

Anyone aged between 18 and 40 can sign up on the Anthony Nolan website, which is found at www.anthonynolan.org.uk, but those signing up in person can be aged up to 49. Burnley Fire Station, Belvedere Road, will be open for the registration drive between 4pm and 8pm on Thursday, December 11, with a free minibus running every 10 minutes from Burnley Bus Station to help those struggling with transport.

For more about the campaign for Julie, call family friend Vanessa Norwood on 07791 681736 or visit the website below.

helpjulie.co.uk