Six-year-old girl from Crawley, who is in treatment for leukaemia, encourages people to ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’ to help more children like her survive cancer

A six-year-old girl from Crawley, who is in treatment for leukaemia, is encouraging people to ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’ to help more children like her survive cancer.
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Mother-of-two Laks Rana took her little girl, Anaya, to the doctor after a vivid and frightening dream set alarm bells ringing.

Less than a week later, Anaya, four, was diagnosed with cancer.

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Laks said: “I had this awful dream - I had lost both kids and I saw myself at a funeral. I woke up, sitting up in bed, crying, and I could feel a lot of pain.

Six-year-old Anaya (left), who is in treatment for leukaemia, is encouraging people to ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’ to help more children like her survive cancerSix-year-old Anaya (left), who is in treatment for leukaemia, is encouraging people to ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’ to help more children like her survive cancer
Six-year-old Anaya (left), who is in treatment for leukaemia, is encouraging people to ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’ to help more children like her survive cancer

“I felt silly but I just had this gut feeling I had to get them to the doctors – I felt something was guiding me to do it.”

A few days later Laks took Anaya to Crawley Hospital and a doctor made an urgent referral to East Surrey Hospital for further checks. They confirmed Anaya had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Still worried, she asked for checks on her son Amrit, then eight, too. Thankfully he was OK.

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“Being told Anaya had cancer was a complete shock. It didn’t seem real that this could be happening to us,” said Laks.

Anaya, with her brother Amrit, was diagnosed with cancer at just four-years of ageAnaya, with her brother Amrit, was diagnosed with cancer at just four-years of age
Anaya, with her brother Amrit, was diagnosed with cancer at just four-years of age

As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, the Rana family is backing TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes for Good campaign, in support of Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People.

They are urging people to clear out their wardrobes and donate pre-loved quality clothes and homeware to their nearest TK Maxx store to help more children and young people like her survive cancer.

Anaya, now six, was diagnosed in February 2020, just before lockdown began.

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Before the diagnosis, Laks and her mother-in-law had noticed bruising on Anaya’s legs but none of them realised this could be a symptom of leukaemia.

“Anaya has always enjoyed playfights with her brother and cousins, being mischievous and jumping off the sofa etc, so bruises were not unusual,” said Laks.

“But when she got a fresh bruise and nothing to explain it, I took her to the Crawley walk-in centre, thinking it could be a blood clot.”

The doctor initially looked at skin issues but was still unconvinced, as was Laks. But then he felt Anaya’s liver and spleen.

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“I was then asked to wait outside while he contacted paediatrics at East Surrey Hospital, insisting she was seen. I’m very grateful to him because he was persistent,” said Laks.

“Anaya has always been a happy, sweet yet cheeky child and is well-known for her ‘huggy’ personality. She would even hug strangers as a toddler, taking them by surprise!

“She has always been an active child and wasn’t poorly at all when she was diagnosed – in fact she finished off her lunch at Nando’s on the day she was diagnosed!”

Anaya went straight into six months of intense chemotherapy treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, which was very tough for her and her family.

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The pandemic brought its own challenges – her brother Amrit couldn’t visit her or comfort her when everything else just didn’t feel ‘normal’ anymore.

“The first couple of weeks were like a whirlwind and you just go into survival mode,” said Laks.

“It was difficult for both kids as they are very close, yet they had to be apart for more than two weeks because Amrit had chicken pox which we were told could be dangerous for children with cancer.

“He had to stay with family and became homesick – he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t see his family.”

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For Laks, one of the most difficult parts of Anaya’s treatment was at the beginning when overnight, she became a ‘Daddy’s girl’ with her husband Harpreet.

She said: “There were seven or eight weeks when she didn’t want me to come near her.

“If she needed help with changing, brushing her teeth, literally anything, it was daddy she wanted with her.

“He had to do everything, which was of course exhausting physically for him but mentally tearing me apart that I couldn’t even be there to comfort my sick child. She clearly had to take out her difficult time on someone, I guess!

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“I later found it was common for children to do this but at the time I was scared as I didn’t know how long this was going to last.”

However, in April, things changed. Anaya returned to being her old ‘huggy’ self on Laks birthday and delivered a huge hug to her mum.

Laks said: “It was the best present I could have had, And I didn’t even have to ask for it!”

Anaya is now half way through her treatment and is doing well.

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Laks said: “We’re so proud of her for being so brave, despite the gruelling process.

"She is managing to be at school – Milton Mount Primary - most of the time, which she enjoys, and loves being with her ‘besties’.

“I’m grateful for how her class all made cards and videos for Anaya, especially when she was poorly.

"The school had to learn how to support her when she returned and prepared the children for how she might look and feel different and how they could help her.”

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Each bag of items donated to TK Maxx could raise up to £25, when sold in Cancer Research UK shops, to help fund research into children’s and young people’s cancers.

Anaya is one of around 240 youngsters in the South East who are diagnosed with cancer every year. Her family understand all too well the importance of new discoveries and breakthroughs.

Laks said: “It’s thanks to research that Anaya is here today. That’s why raising money for Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People is so vital.

“We hope our experience will inspire others to have a clear out and support this campaign. Their unwanted items really could save lives.”

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More children are surviving cancer than ever before, thanks in large part to the work of Cancer Research UK.

Lynn Daly, spokesperson for Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People in the South East, said: “We’re grateful to the Rana family for helping to raise awareness.

"Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults – from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment and the long-term side effects survivors often experience.

"So, it needs more research which campaigns like Give Up Clothes for Good help to fund.

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“We want to help ensure more people under the age of 25 in the South East, and across the UK, survive cancer with a good quality of life.

"That’s why we hope as many people as possible will show their support and donate any quality clothes or goods to the Crawley TK Maxx stores.”

TK Maxx is the biggest corporate supporter of Cancer Research UK’s research into children’s and young people’s cancers.

Since 2004, the retailer has raised over £37 million to help improve survival and reduce long-term side effects for under 25s.

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Speaking on behalf of TK Maxx, Jo Murphy, vice president of corporate responsibility and sustainability at TJX Europe, said: “We are incredibly grateful to our customers in Sussex and Surrey for helping us to transform the items they no longer need into funds for life-saving research.

"Not only are they helping more children and young people survive cancer, they’re also reducing their environmental impact by giving their pre-loved items another lease of life.”

Give Up Clothes for Good is one of the UK’s longest running clothes collections. People can donate at any TK Maxx store, all year round, including those in Kingsgate and County Oak.

Supporters can also help by wearing a gold ribbon badge – the awareness symbol of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – available from Cancer Research UK shops and selected TK Maxx stores during September.

Find out more or donate online at cruk.org/childrenandyoungpeople.

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