Borders couple's heartbreaking trip home

Leighann Cochrane, who was born in Selkirk and lived there until her family moved to Dunblane when she was in third year at the High School, and her partner, fellow Souter Keith Riddell, have based their lives in New Zealand, where Arran was born.

Due to the pandemic, they were not able to bring Arran back to meet friends and family until recently.

However, their lives were turned upside down, when Leighann and Keith noticed some bruises on Arran that couldn’t be explained. They took him into hospital to get him looked over, only to be given the earth-shattering news that he had leukaemia, and doctors said he was too ill to travel back to New Zealand for treatment.

Arran, who just turned three in July, is now fighting for his life, and is facing the next five weeks in hospital, with only his parents allowed to visit. He then faces six months of intensive chemotherapy followed by a further two-and-a-half years of maintenance chemotherapy.

Leighann and Keith have had to give up their jobs in New Zealand, and so have no income, but still have a mortgage and all of their usual bills to pay back there, as well as all of the essential costs now that they are here in the UK.

A friend, Joseph Thomas, has set up a Just Giving page to raise funds for the couple to pay their way, as well as moving some of Arran’s favourite books and toys back from his home, “anything that can help him alleviate the pain and frustration he’s dealing with stuck in hospital, with constant biopsies, injections, invasive tubing, oral and IV chemotherapy and everything else this life-saving, but tough, treatment entails”.

Already, £500 has been raised, with the target set at £10,000.

Leighann said on social media: “We can't thank these donors enough for helping to keep our wee boy going. I encourage everyone to look at the bone marrow register. This is all I want for my birthday.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​”

Leighann a has also asked if people could please consider, if they haven't already, donating blood, platelets and bone marrow.

To donate, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforarran