Cruz joins bone marrow campaign

Joe Cawse was diagnosed with leukaemia more than three years ago

An eight-year-old Kent boy who has leukaemia has met film star Penelope Cruz for a campaign to urge people to join the bone marrow donor register.

Joe Cawse, who has been on a donor waiting list for more than three years, met Ms Cruz while she filmed in London.

The star joined the Anthony Nolan Trust's national bone marrow campaign after meeting their courier on a flight from Madrid to London.

The courier was delivering bone marrow for another youngster in the UK.

Ms Cruz wanted to help other patients who could not find donors and the trust arranged her meeting with Joe, from Maidstone.

She said: "He's a sunny and intelligent eight-year-old but is battling with leukaemia as I speak.

"One suitable donor could save his life."

If only more people in the UK knew that there is a method of donating bone marrow that is simple and pain free Penelope Cruz

She added: "I was very surprised to discover there are two different ways to donate your bone marrow and the second way is a much easier, less invasive process than I had ever imagined.

"If only more people in the UK knew that there is a method of donating bone marrow that is simple and pain free."

A spokesperson for the charity said more than 1,300 patients in the UK search for a suitable bone marrow donor each year but because individual genetic make-up is so varied the chances of finding a match are slim.

People who register as a donor have to give a blood sample, which is tested to establish the tissue type.

The results are stored by the charity in case a patient with a match requires a donation.

Joe's mother, Sheriden, said his diagnosis led to a "truly horrendous and terrifying few years".

"We were told that a bone marrow transplant was Joe's only option, but a donor hasn't been found yet," she said.

"Joe's prognosis was two years, but that was three years ago so we've beaten that.

"Joe was so excited about meeting Penelope Cruz - she was really warm and friendly and seemed to understand the issues facing families like us."