A brave four-year-old Fifer who became the face of an Anthony Nolan campaign has been named the charity’s young hero of the year.
Ava Stark’s story inspired around 20,000 people to join the charity’s register of potential stem cell donors, earning her recognition in the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards.
She was awarded the John Petchey Young Hero of the Year Award at a ceremony in Westminster, just over a year after she underwent a bone marrow transplant.
Ava, of Lochgelly, fronted the charity’s stem cell donor campaign, appearing on advertising boards encouraging the public to sign up.
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP Lesley Laird attended the ceremony and said: “It was an absolute honour to meet Ava Stark and her family as they were awarded the John Petchey Hero of the Year award at Westminster last night.
“The award was given by the Anthony Nolan Trust in recognition of four-year-old Ava and her entire family, who have become huge advocates for the trust after Ava was diagnosed with inherited bone marrow failure in 2016.
“Her mum, Marie, campaigned tirelessly to highlight the importance of people signing up to the stem cell donor register in the hope that would one day Ava would find her hero.
“Ava’s campaign resulted in around 20,000 people coming forward to join the Anthony Nolan register as potential stem cell donors.”
Ahead of her transplant Ava endured rounds of chemotherapy to prevent her body rejecting the donor cells. The procedure left her immune system compromised but saved her life.
Born with a bone marrow failure, she was unable to produce her own blood cells.
