Thousands of people in the UK and worldwide urgently need life saving bone marrow donations – one person alone could be the vital match that would save one of these lives. Between 17 – 23 November The Anthony Nolan Trust is urging people across the UK to join their life saving Bone Marrow Register as part of the Charity’s Awareness Week.
Each year hundreds of people in Britain (and 16,000 people worldwide) desperately need bone marrow transplants to treat blood disorders such as leukaemia. But because individual genetic makeup is so varied, the chance of finding a suitable donor can be very slim. Fewer than 30% of people needing bone marrow transplants find a match within their family, the rest depend on the generosity of strangers to provide life saving donations. Many searches for patients are unsuccessful – a bone marrow donor whose tissue type matches theirs could mean the difference between life and death: one person only could be the “unique match” necessary to save another’s life.
The Anthony Nolan Trust desperately needs more healthy people aged 18 – 40 to join the register and potentially save a life.
Twelve year old Mason Haley from Cumbria was very lucky to have found his unique match five years ago. His mum Maria said:
“When Mason was diagnosed with leukaemia we were devastated. We were told he’d need a bone marrow transplant, but we were also told there were no guarantees that a match would be found. The wait for a donor was agonising – unless you’ve been through something like that, you simply can’t imagine how difficult it is. We just didn’t know if they’d find a match for Mason. The day they told us a 100% match had been found was one I’ll never forget. We were literally euphoric! Mason always wanted to meet the man who saved his life, and for several years sent him hand made cards. It was wonderful for all us when they finally met earlier this year. Without Stuart, Mason might well not be here – we have no way of knowing if there would have been another match out there for Mason.”
Mason’s donor, Stuart Barrick, said: “Meeting Mason was amazing – it really brought home to me just what the family had been through. I’d joined the register about five years before and was pleased when they asked me to donate – it felt like a privilege. I think a lot of people think donating is painful and difficult, but it really isn’t. I had no problems with it. And I have the enormous sense of pride knowing that I’ve helped save a little boy’s life. I’d recommend the experience to everyone.”
The Anthony Nolan Trust is particularly calling on people from black and minority ethnic groups to join the register. Only 20-30%of individuals from ethnic minorities are able to find a suitable donor.
Twelve-year-old Carena Cash Abbey from east London desperately needs to find her unique match from the black or mixed race community. After months of campaigning in her local area, a match has not yet been found for Carena. Her mother, Angela Xavier said: “Carena had just completed the London Ten Bridges charity walk with her school over a year ago when she was diagnosed with leukaemia. We were devastated. We’ve done everything we can to try to find a donor for Carena – our local community has been incredibly supportive. But we haven’t been able to find a match for her.We know there must be someone out there who is a match for Carena – please, please help us save our little girl’s life.”
