The thought of one of your children falling seriously ill is one that will send shivers down the spine of every parent.

Now more than ever after almost two years with living with the effects of Covid 19, each and every one of us knows the priceless value of good health.

Consider then the plight of one family in our midst who is going through the darkest times of their lives right now.

The Palmer family in Aberystwyth desperately need to find a stem cell donor for their seven-year-old son, Rufus.

Before Christmas, Rufus relapsed with leukaemia after things seemed to be going well for him for the past 18 months.

But a stem cell donor is needed to save Rufus’ life, and doctors are struggling to find a match.

His best chance lies with as many people as possible being tested to see if they are suited. What makes Rufus’ plight all the more urgent is that it seemed as if there were two matches, but things haven’t quite worked out.

That’s why Rufus and his family need your help – and soon.

There’s an opening for a bone marrow transplant in the middle of February.

That can’t go ahead if a suitable bone marrow donor isn’t found.

Time is critical.

Doctors are turning to stem cell registers worldwide to try and find a match – but his best chance of success might very lie closer to home. Somewhere here in mid Wales.

Heaven knows how many nasty swab tests we’ve all taken during these 22 months or so of living with Covid.

But being checked to see if you’re a potential matching donor simply requires a quick swap, inside the cheek, to allow for tissue testing.

While the family is hoping to set up a swabbing clinic, obviously Covid rules could prove to be an impediment.

But you can register as a potential stem cell donor by contacting the organisations in the link below.

Even if you’re not a match for little Rufus – and we pray that one of your reading this who steps forward is – your tissue profile could very well help some other family seeking a desperately needed stem cell donor.

As Rufus’ mother Rosie notes: “You never know if you or someone you love will need this one day, we never thought we did until it happened to us.”

Click here to read more on Rufus’ story and how you can help.