The parents of Maisie Almond, who died aged 14 after a sudden illness, have donated a 'ground-breaking' blood bike to 'help save others in her name.'
Maisie, a lifelong Manchester City fan from Stalybridge, unexpectedly passed away after being diagnosed with an extremely rare form of acute liver failure. Within weeks her condition had 'deteriorated rapidly' before doctors discovered she was in desperate need of surgery and a transplant to survive.
Rushed to specialist unit
She had been rushed to a specialist unit in Leeds, where a life-saving organ donor was found for her, but she died within five days, on October 2, 2024. She was deemed too weak to undergo the 12-hour transplant procedure which would have also required large amounts of donated blood. By this point she had developed swelling of the brain, which meant the prospects of her survival were very low.
Now, two years on from Maisie's tragic passing, her parents have purchased a Maisie Moo’s Missions Blood Bike, in partnership with Greater Manchester Blood Bikes, to try and save as many lives as possible in Maisie's name and promote the importance of blood donation.
Parents' message
Her parents Kathryn and Stuart said: "Maisie died aged just 14 in 2024. We know that nothing could have changed what happened to Maisie, and we couldn’t save her. But we can make sure that something carrying her name now helps to save other lives."
"The work carried out by Greater Manchester Blood Bikes is something we felt very strongly about supporting. They work in partnership with the North West Air Ambulance, delivering blood to its base at Barton Aerodrome 3 times every day. This means that the bike carrying Maisie’s name could quite literally be involved in getting lifesaving blood where it is needed, helping the air ambulance team respond to patients across the North West."
Unveiled at charity tournament
The bike was unveiled over the weekend at Maisie Moo’s Mission's Charity Padel Americano Tournament Saturday (September 5) at Trafford Padel Club. The mayor of Trafford and charity trustees from Maisie Moo’s Missions and Greater Manchester Blood Bikes were in attendance.
What makes the blood bike charity so important is the fact that their volunteers provide a medical courier service across Greater Manchester, transporting vital items, including blood, to hospitals and healthcare sites - despite the fact that their volunteers outnumber the amount of bikes they have.
Encouraging blood donation
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Maisie's parents said they hope people will see her bright pink bike and be encouraged to donate blood. They said: "For us, the bike carries an incredibly powerful message. We may not have been able to save Maisie, but Maisie’s bike will now help save others."
"The sad reality is that Greater Manchester Blood Bikes currently has more willing volunteers than it has bikes available for them to use. There are people ready to give up their own time to carry out these lifesaving missions, but without enough bikes, they simply can’t get out on the road."
"Blood bikes are traditionally yellow, but we wanted Maisie’s bike to be completely different. It had to be pink! We had to seek special permission for a pink bike! There is only one Maisie Almond and so there should be only one pink bike!"
"We saw it for the first time on Saturday. It was very emotional. It was very bittersweet because obviously we've worked a long time to be able to get to this stage, but then it hits home as to why we're actually there, obviously without Maisie."
"So it was very emotional, but also very rewarding. When the bike came towards us we did have a sharp intake of breath. It was like, gosh, what we've been seeing in pictures, and the vision that we had, all the months ago, is finally in front of us, and it is bittersweet."
"It's the same when we got the charity number. Part of you is devastated and part of you is excited. It's a really, really strange feeling, and I think when the bike drove off that really got to me, because I just thought, God, that's Maisie driving off again into the distance."
"We miss her every single minute and honestly, we don’t know how we get through the days. But we have to. We need to take something utterly devastating and creating something positive from it. Something that keeps Maisie’s name out there, makes a genuine difference and becomes another part of her lasting legacy."
They added: "Since COVID the number of people donating blood has decreased significantly and there's a constant need for blood from the NHS. Blood donation is so, so important and it takes literally an hour of someone's time to help to save or improve the lives of three people."
"With the blood bikes, they've never collaborated with another charity before, what we've done is ground-breaking. It's never been done, certainly with the Manchester Blood Bike team, they've never collaborated or spoken to another charity with a view to working together. And it's the first pink bike in the entire country, I would say, certainly in Manchester."
"The thing with the blood bikes is that there's actually more volunteers than there are vehicles, which is dreadful. There are volunteers sat at home, willing, able and wanting to help in emergency situations but unfortunately there aren't the vehicles available, so that's why we're delighted to be able to supply a vehicle that can now be used to help."
