Aidan's Story
When I asked a family member what she wanted for Christmas, she thought about it for a bit, then said "12 donors - one for each of the 12 days of Christmas".
She had blood cancer, and was so grateful to have been matched with a stem cell donor. A couple of years on, and she has her life back, and is making steady progress on the long road to recovery.
Yet, the time she spent waiting for a match was terrible, both for her and her loved ones around her. Not knowing when, or if, was just awful.
Adding to the donor register is a wonderful and crucial way to improve the chances of finding a - literally - life saving match. It's easy to sign up, and, if you are matched with a potential recipient, it would be the most amazing gift you could give anyone: the chance of life.
Did you know?
- Every 14 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a type of blood cancer or blood disorder. For many patients, a stem cell transplant from a matching donor is their best, and sometimes only, chance of survival.
- Patients from an ethnic minority background only have a 37% chance of finding their match compared to those from a white European background who have a 72% chance.
- There is only a 33% chance of having a sibling who is a match.
The solution is to increase numbers and diversity on the register. We have the power to do this!
Unfortunately, not everyone finds a stem cell match. We are working together to increase donors on the stem cell register so that every person with cancer has the chance to receive a stem cell transplant.
If you’re aged 17-55 and in generally good health, please sign up to be a stem cell donor. You could be someone’s second chance at life.