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ITV News
4 days ago
- General
- ITV News
Crawley girl, 10, battling rare blood disorder encourages others to join stem cell register
ITV Meridian's Rachel Hepworth has been speaking to Amilah and her family in Crawley. A young girl from Sussex who's battling a rare blood disorder, is urging more people to join the stem cell register, to help save lives like hers. Amilah Hussain from Crawley who's 10 was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia last year. The life-threatening blood disorder meant she had to stop activities she loved like skating and climbing, where bruising might lead to life-threatening infection. Speaking to ITV Meridian, Amilah said: 'Most of the time when I'm sick I get very tired. "When I get a temperature over 38 I have to go to hospital ands I hate that because I know I'll have to stay there for the night.' Mobeen Hussein, Amilah's mother Mobeen Hussein, Amilah's mother said: "She's got this spark, this energy, she's always happy- whatever is thrown at her, she just gets on with it. 'I just wouldn't wish it on anyone. "It was horrible knowing that at any stage of her life she would become helpless- that we wouldn't be able to help her.' The family turned to the blood cancer charity, DKMS to help. The search was harder because of Amilah's Pakistani heritage, as ethnic minorities are severely under-represented on the register, particularly in the south. But luckily a match was found against the odds. Amilah now knows that if and when she needs a transplant, a match is there for her. ITV Meridian's Matt Teale speaks to Bronagh Hughes from the blood cancer charity DKMS UK Aplastic anaemia is a serious condition affecting the blood, where the bone marrow and stem cells do not produce enough blood cells. It can happen suddenly or develop over a period of time. According to the aplastic anaemia trust, a stem cell transplant is the only form of treatment which, when successful, can cure aplastic anaemia. It involves infusing healthy stem cells from a donor into your bloodstream. But new figures show that fewer than 3% of people in the south are registered as donors, which is lower than the national average. Bronagh Hughes from the stem cell charity DKMS said: "A stem cell transplant is the best opportunity for some patients to have a second chance at life. "Stem cells exist in your blood and in your bone marrow, and if those stop working, then you need a stem cell transplant. "So for about one in three patients, that will come from a member of their family, so for two thirds of patients, they won't have that match in their family - and that's where we come in. "We help people to join the stem cell register so that if in the future someone needs a transplant and you're a match that we can find you, that we can put you in touch and then you can come forward, donate your stem cells and give that person another chance at life. "In the UK, at any given time, there are around 2,000 people who are waiting for that match and who haven't found it. "Everyone between the age of 17 and 55 that is in general good health is eligible to join the register, but most of them just don't know that it's something that's available to them. "It's really easy to join the stem cell donor register - It's a quick cheek swab and you can do it online. We'll send you a swab kit in the post, you just do a quick swab on each cheek and post it back to us and then you're on the register. "if you do get that call, 90% of the time, you're asked to donate through a process called PBSC. It's very similar to donating blood, but it takes a little bit longer. "It's a really easy outpatient procedure - about 10% of people will be asked to donate bone marrow, which will involve a small surgery."
ITV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
New Reform-led Kent County Council will remove Pride and Ukrainian flags
ITV Meridian's political correspondent Kit Bradshaw has been speaking to the new leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran. A Reform-run county council will not fly a Pride flag this summer and will remove the Ukrainian flag from the chamber, the new council leader confirmed. At the beginning of May, Reform swept to a local elections victory in Kent taking 57 of 81 council seats, wiping out a Conservative majority which had stood for almost 30 years. On Thursday, councillors heard from the new leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, at their annual general meeting at County Hall in Maidstone, Kent. Ms Kemkaran, Kent's Reform leader, told the chamber her new administration had little time for 'special interest groups' or the flags that represent them. 'The Union Jack, the flag of St George and the flag of Kent, they are the identity that we all share and it is that identity that we need to focus on,' she said. Her words were met with raucous applause and table thumping from the Reform benches, likened to a 'political rally' by the council's opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Antony Hook. 'We are here to unite not divide and that's why we don't have much time for special interest groups and flags that represent special interest groups,' added Ms Kemkaran. The new Kent County Council leader also told the chamber she was looking to create a department of government efficiency (Doge) to root out problems in the council. Opposition leader Mr Hook voiced fears that the Reform administration would be taking instructions from the national leaders of Reform UK. L Outside the chamber, he said: 'It was really shocking to me that in a recent podcast the leader of Reform said that she had to sort of take instructions from Reform's national chairman. 'That's the sort of thing we've never heard at Kent County Council before. Under different administrations it's always been clear that policy is made in Kent by county councillors not taking instructions from national parties.' Concerns were also raised by opposition councillors about the future of environmental initiatives across the county. Before the meeting, Ms Kemkaran said: 'My focus will be on examining every single so-called net zero initiative and seeing whether it does really offer value for money or any benefits for the residents of Kent and if we find that it doesn't then it will be scrapped.' The new Reform-led council is yet to announce which committees are to be kept from previous Conservative administrations. Ms Kemkaran warned against 'knee-jerk' reactions in her first speech to the chamber. 'The people of Kent turned out in their thousands to vote for us because they didn't want the same old people doing the same old things and achieving the same old results,' Ms Kemkaran said. Labour Councillor and campaigner Maureen Cleator Mr Hook commented on the atmosphere within the chamber. He said: 'Today was really strange, there were constant rounds of applause, there was table thumping. I've never seen that in a county council chamber before. 'Reform were acting like they were at a political rally rather than the first meeting of an authority that's here to do important work.' Labour Councillor and campaigner Maureen Cleator said: 'I was an Army wife. "My son goes over to Ukraine to offer support and training as a veteran and I don't think people understand what's going on there. "And to be quite honest, if the most we do is fly a flag to show solidarity, then what's wrong with that.'
ITV News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
The Little Ships of Dunkirk reach French waters marking the anniversary of Operation Dynamo
ITV Meridian's Matt Teale has travelled on one of the Little Ships for the historic journey from Ramsgate to Dunkirk.
ITV News
01-05-2025
- ITV News
Footage released of driver 'drifting' around roundabout at illegal car meet in Southampton
ITV Meridian's Derek Johnson reports Footage has been released of a reckless driver drifting around a roundabout at an illegal car meet in Southampton. Toby Clarkson, 23, from Surrey has been banned from the roads after being caught driving his white BMW dangerously as hundreds of people watched on. The illegal event, which took place in September last year, began in Winchester, before moving on to Southampton, Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Fareham and Southsea. Jay Jones organises legitimate car events and works with the police to educate young drivers. A legal car meet organiser, Jay Jones He said: "You want to go along and show off because you see all the cameras and a lot of people go along and they get forced in or encouraged to show off, and that's where things go wrong. "You have the choice to go to other places or more sanctioned events where you can still be respectful and still appreciate these vehicles, and enjoy yourself." The illegal car meet in Southampton in September 2024 is still being investigated. Police say they will not tolerate illegal street racing that puts lives at risk. Chief Inspector Emma Hart, Roads Policing Unit, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary Emma Hart said: "'We've listened to our communities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and they've been really clear. This type of anti-social car meet is impacting their quality of life. And we've listened and we've now dealt with it. "It's noisy, it's reckless, it puts people at risk, and it's not going to be tolerated anymore." £4,000 worth of fines were issued at the illegal car meet-up, and a court order has been used to seize and keep 17 of the vehicles.
ITV News
29-04-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Recovering ketamine addict who's been left in constant pain warns others against using drug
WATCH: Mitchell Woodhouse is awaiting major surgery on his bladder, which he needs as a result of his ketamine addiction. He's been telling ITV Meridian's Grace Williams about his experience. A 22-year-old man from Waterlooville, who is recovering from a ketamine addiction, is pleading with others not to use the drug. Mitchell Woodhouse first experienced drugs when he was at a festival, aged 13. Three years later, when socialising with friends, ketamine became his drug of choice, as it's cheaper than other drugs. Having seen what the drug could do, but being unable to stop, Mitchell promised himself he'd no longer use when it started to have a longer lasting effect. Mitchell said: "My first target as I sniffed it, I was setting myself a goal of, when my cartilage deteriorates, I'll stop. It got to a point when one day, I was cleaning my nose and I saw the tissue from the other side and I thought, enough's enough, I need to stop but I was so heavily addicted to the drug, I couldn't stop." The years of chronic ketamine use has left Mitchell with ketamine bladder. This is when the lining of the bladder shrinks in volume, causing users to become incontinent. Like others with the condition, Mitchell is in constant excruciating pain. He struggles to get out of bed and is unable to go downstairs. Mitchell, who is open about his regret, said: "I can no longer work, I can no longer eat with my family down at the dinner table. I struggle to sleep most nights because I'm in pain… "It's all fun and games at the start but you will end up in this position. People will laugh you know, because I looked at other people who were damaged and I used to think, oh that's never going to happen to me, I'm fine you it did." What is ketamine? Ketamine is used in the NHS as an anaesthetic and for pain relief, and is also commonly used on animals. Ketamine usually comes in a crystalline powder or liquid. Also known as Super K and Donkey Dust, ketamine is often much cheaper than other drugs. Charities say they are seeing more evidence of the drug being used alone by individuals. Previously, it's been seen as a 'party drug' due to the hallucinogenic effects it has on users. Mitchell now needs a major operation on his bladder, similar to that of patients with bladder cancer. He's been waiting for months for the procedure, which he hopes will transform his life. One Urologist at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth says he's seen a 10-fold increase in referrals for ketamine bladder over the last 8-10 years. Richard Robinson, consultant urological surgeon, said: "A healthy bladder will hold about 5-600 millilitres of urine, whereas, for someone who's been extensively using ketamine who's got severe symptoms, their bladder will typically shrink to about the size of a ping pong ball. "There is no quick fix for this. This is a devastating consequence of drug misuse that, even if we operate, and we can really turn people's lives around with the surgery, it carries long term implications. These patients require lifelong surveillance and a lot will require further surgery in the future." Sadly, Mitchell is one of an increasing number of young people in the UK who have experienced issues with ketamine abuse. What are the latest statistics surrounding ketamine use? Use of ketamine among 16-24 year olds, in England and Wales, has more than tripled since 2016. Source: ONS An estimated 269,000 people, aged 16-59, reported ketamine use in the year ending March 2023. Source: Home Office Cases of children reporting more issues with ketamine than with cocaine has more than doubled since 2021. Source: Office for Health Improvement & Disparities One drugs and alcohol charity in Hampshire, says it's seen a 50% increase in people accessing treatment for ketamine use in the last three years. Carly Goodson, Clinical Lead, Inclusion Recovery Hampshire said: "Ketamine has been around for a long time. However, it has become more accessible and is cheaper than other substances. But also, social media is making it more available, in a way. We're seeing much more evidence of young people using alone, whereas before it had been more associated as a club drug. "Primarily my advice is talk to the right people. Come and talk to someone who you trust and come and talk to your local substance use service. "Support from family and friends is really important in helping people recover from addiction. Feeling that you're not on your own is really important. Addiction is the disease of isolation, so having that support and also support from people that have had similar experiences is so important." In January, the government announced that an independent review is being carried out, looking to reclassify ketamine from a class B drug to a class A drug. A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are seeking advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on reclassifying ketamine to become a Class A substance. "Through our Plan for Change and mission to make the nation's streets safer, we will work with public services including health and policing, to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply." Although the reclassification could mean harsher prison sentences for those who are producing and supplying the drug, the question from charities and those experiencing addiction, is what difference it will make to those being directly affected by ketamine.
