Stem cells gave Eesa another chance to live. This Ramadan, yours could help someone like him

February 25, 2025

My name is Mosan Hussain, and I’m the father of a wonderful, funny six-year-old boy named Eesa. He’s the light of our family, always playing with his dinosaurs and making his little brother, Ali, laugh. But last year, our world changed, and things looked very different.
During his second term of reception class, we noticed Eesa was unusually tired after school. On New Year’s Day, we took him to the hospital. That night, my wife called me in tears and told me to come back. The doctors suspected either aplastic anaemia or leukaemia. I had never heard of aplastic anaemia before, but when I looked it up, words like ‘critical’ and ‘urgent’ stood out. It was overwhelming.
Eesa was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare and serious blood disorder. He needed a stem cell transplant to survive. It was a terrifying time, knowing his only chance depended on finding a donor. We learned that because of our ethnicity it could make finding a match even harder for Eesa which was devastating to hear. So we started a campaign, My Name Is Eesa, to spread the word and help diversify the Anthony Nolan register.
Anthony Nolan is a charity that has been matching patients with donors for 50 years and needs more people to sign up. We worked together and appeared on TV, in the papers and in the community to get the news out there inspired more than 1,500 people to sign up which was incredible.
But Eesa still needed a donor. Thankfully, a donor was found, and Eesa received his transplant. Today, he is a happy, healthy little boy, recovering well.
This Ramadan, as we reflect on gratitude and giving, our family is working to raise awareness about the urgent need for more stem cell donors. A matching donor is far more likely to come from the same ethnic background, so we particularly want to ask more South Asian or Arab donors aged 16-30 to sign up with Anthony Nolan.
If you are between 16 and 30 and in good health, you could be the person who saves another child’s life – just like someone saved Eesa’s. Young men, in particular, are needed, as they provide more than 50% of all stem cell donations but make up only 16% of the register.
Throughout Eesa’s illness, we lived on edge. A fever could mean an immediate hospital visit, so we always had bags packed. To help him feel less alone, I wore a plaster over a fake Hickman line on my chest, just like the one doctors used for his treatment.
As the Qur’an says: “Saving one life is like saving the whole of humanity.” And stem cell donation is halal. The British Board of Scholars and Imams agree that it is permissible and a noble act.
Stem cells gave Eesa another chance to live. This Ramadan, yours could help someone like him. If you’re eligible, please consider joining the Anthony Nolan register. It only takes a simple swab, and one day, you could be the match that saves a life. If you can’t, you can always make a donation and help Anthony Nolan continue its work giving children like Eesa, a second chance at life.
Find out more and sign up at anthonynolan.org/MyNameIsEesa.