GIVE A LITTLE, SAVE A LIFE
Help Leevan Get His Life Back This Year
With bone marrow failure, time isn’t a luxury. The clock is always ticking.
Leevan Solomon spent much of 2023 not knowing if he would live or die.
He was diagnosed with bone marrow failure — also known as aplastic anaemia — during a three-month hospital stay. He’s been in and out of hospital since, returning home to a life in perpetual lock-down where family have to mask-up to spend time with him.
Leevan is a close friend of my family in Trinidad and I had the privilege of spending an hour in conversation with him last week.
What an hour that was!
As we chatted, I found myself inspired by his faith, optimism and concern for others. Rather than looking inwards and feeling sorry for himself, he’s full of encouragement for the people around him. His mother had attested to this, but it took me by surprise to witness it myself.
Leevan’s gratitude for the friends and family who’ve been there for him over the last year is palpable. He believes God has kept him thus far for a purpose. Leevan’s a beautiful soul with a pure heart and a humble spirit. I’ll share my chat with him here with you another day. For now, I want you to understand why Leevan needs your help.
Leevan Solomon’s story
Before 2023, Leevan was a vibrant, outdoors loving guy, enjoying his work as a gym instructor, while taking challenging hikes along Trinidad’s beautiful wild trails in his spare time. But since being struck with aplastic anaemia, he’s been limited, age 35, with shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain and exhaustion.
The effect on Leevan’s life has been devastating.
Doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant as the only long-term potential cure. Because this procedure isn’t offered in Trinidad, Leevan will need to go abroad for it.
So far, his local fundraising efforts with family and friends raised TTD$70K. But he’ll need at least TTD$1.5 million.
TTD$1.5M is about USD$220,000 or GBP£175,000
This will cover:
- finding a matching bone marrow sample
- having the transplant treatment
- having follow-up care
- air travel
- living expenses, including accomodation, for potentially six months or more.
He’s aiming for a transplant in Columbia, where the costs are lower than in the UK or USA.
Every passing month is both a narrow escape and a blessing for Leevan.
Let’s help him realise his hope of a bone marrow transplant by raising the money he needs.
I asked Leevan what he’s most looking forward to when this aplastic anaemia is behind him. He said to me, to continue serving Jesus and get back to his two loves — work and hiking.
Read Leevan’s story in his own words on his FundMeTnT page here.
Please give what you can. Let’s make 2024 the year Leevan Solomon has the life-saving bone marrow transplant he needs.
I’ll be amplifying his fundraising efforts through a Facebook campaign and on Substack and Medium.
Please give what you can. Let’s make 2024 the year Leevan Solomon has the life-saving bone marrow transplant he needs.
With aplastic anaemia, time isn’t a luxury. The clock is always ticking.
The Goal is Within Reach
Two hundred and twenty thousand US dollars might sound like a lot but if enough of us chip in, it’s within reach.
If 125 different people give USD$10 every day, we’ll achieve our goal in under six months.
And since we’ve all got different pockets, we could look at it another way:
If 13 different people give USD$100 every day, we’ll also achieve our goal in under six months.
Sharing his appeal is the only way we can reach enough people, so please join me in sharing this message.
Get giving, get this appeal in front of your friends and their friends, and help Leevan meet the costs of his bone marrow transplant as soon as possible.
Please join A Bone Marrow Transplant for Leevan Solomon to follow the progress of Leevan’s journey on Facebook. I’ll update the Medium and Substack appeal articles monthly. Reach out to me in the comments or directly on the Facebook page.
Leevan and Cynthia were interviewed by Trinidad and Tobago Television in August of 2023. You can view that interview here.
Ways to Help Leevan Have the Bone Marrow Transplant He Needs
- Leevan’s GoGetFunding page will be best if you’re giving outside of Trinidad and Tobago. Fees are minimal on GoGetFunding, compared to other platforms. https://gogetfunding.com/leevan-needs-a-bone-marrow-transplant-give-a-little-save-a-life/
2. If it’s easier, please donate directly to the bank account mentioned in the Trinidad and Tobago Television interview:
- Account number: 180050806631
- Names on the account: Leevan Solomon, Cynthia Solomon, Jennifer Douglas
- Republic Bank, 9–11 Park Street, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
- If you’re based outside of Trinidad and Tobago, you’ll need the SWIFT code: RBNKTTPX
(Cynthia and Jennifer are Leevan’s mum and aunt).
3. Donate through Leevan’s Fund Me TnT page. https://fundmetnt.com/campaign/leevans-bone-marrow-transplant
Media
Leevan Needs Help (youtube.com)
Leevan Needs Help — TTT News (tttlimited.com)
Facebook: A Bone Marrow Transplant for Leevan Solomon
Thank you for giving what you can. Thank you for sharing Leevan’s campaign.
Updates on his progress and the progress of this fundraiser will appear below in the comments.
This appeal is not behind Medium’s paywall, so anyone can read it, though for Facebook users, it may be more effective to share the Facebook appeal: A Bone Marrow Transplant for Leevan Solomon.
