London Met student who inspired so many
23rd October 2008
Daniel De-Gale, the inspiring, young leukaemia sufferer sadly passed away on October 8 surrounded by his family. The Voice newspaper named him as ‘one of the most inspirational young men within the black community’ for his campaign to increase the number of bone-marrow donors from the black community and because of his positive attitude towards life.
Daniel was studying to be a physiotherapist and had recently passed his BSc Honours course in Sports Science at London Metropolitan University. Despite his recurring problems with the disease he led a full and active life, meeting his celebrity heroes and with his parent’s help, setting up the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT).
The ACLT was set up 12 years ago to encourage ethnic minorities and
those from mixed race communities to register as bone marrow donors as
there are worryingly less than 3% of potential ethnic minority donors
on the UK Bone Marrow Register, despite the prevalence of leukaemia
amongst these groups. In real life terms the odds of finding a bone
marrow match are a staggering 1 in 100,000 if you are black or mixed
race compared to about 1 in 5 if you’re white, underlying the
overwhelming odds faced by those in the UK suffering from leukaemia.
Colin Salmon, patron for the charity and family friend commented:
‘This beautiful boy inspired so many of us and we will continue to
illuminate the path, with his light, so others may be guided to safety.
In this life there are those sent to us to manifest wisdom, action and
bring joy, Daniel was one of those spirits. The pain we are all feeling
right now reflects the love he generated in so many of us. Not a love
of celebrity, or fame but a love of life and ultimately this gift of
life we have all been given. Beautiful Daniel De-Gale, it has been an
honour and the purest of pleasures to know you and call you a friend.
Peace.’
He will be remembered fondly by all those that knew him during his time at London Metropolitan University.
For more information about becoming a bone marrow donor, or to make a donation to ACLT, visit http://www.aclt.org/
Text ACLT to 84424 to make a £3 donation.