Pete McCleave, 42, from Bunbury in Cheshire

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Ana and Pete's stories

Pete McCleave, 42, from Bunbury in Cheshire, has enjoyed a very comfortable life; he’s happily married with two beautiful children and, until recently, had a ‘good’ job in financial services.

However, everything changed four years ago, when Pete was diagnosed with acute myeloma - a rare and incurable blood cancer. He was advised that his best hope for survival was a blood stem cell transplant. He was given a maximum of seven years to live, unless a stem cell donor could be found. So far, a match has been elusive and Pete’s search continues.

This would be devastating news for anyone to contend with and for many it would stop them in their tracks. Not Pete! He has since embarked on a global search to find his match and matches for others with blood cancer by launching www.10000donors.com, supported by DKMS. Incredibly, his website has registered over 85,000 new donors and found matches for 17 people with blood cancer. Just not for him, yet.

Pete has boundless energy, which he has channelled into raising awareness and fundraising antics such as the Crumball Rally, a budget classic and banger car rally he completed in 2019. Most recently, in September 2021 Pete completed a phenomenal wing walk to raise money and awareness. Incredibly, he has raised over £80,000 for DKMS. He has given so much to others and now he needs your help.

Ana Rasheed and family smiling at the camera.

Like Pete, Ana Merchant, who is a Senior Program Manager here at Amazon, has close experience of blood cancer.

Ana’s Dad was diagnosed with a blood cancer in January 2017 and the prognosis was bleak - he was given just six months to live. Thankfully, a donor was found very quickly and Mr Rasheed received a blood stem cell transplant shortly after his diagnosis. The transplant gave him a second chance at life and extended his time with his family for a further two years.

Ana said “DKMS is a charity close to my heart. Because of his transplant, my father was able to see me grow professionally and get engaged. He experienced these important milestones that every father should see, and, for that, I will be forever grateful to his donor and to charities like DKMS”.

Ana and Pete, who know each other, are keen to encourage as many people as possible to join the stem cell register, as the more people on it, the more likely a match will be found for a person in need. If you are eligible and would like to help, please request a swab kit and help Pete, Ana and DKMS recruit more lifesavers from Amazon!

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With only two percent of the UK population on the blood stem cell register. We are aware that people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK often have a hard time finding a blood stem cell donor that they are compatible with because they are very under-represented on the register. COVID-19 has substantially impacted the number of people registering to become a stem cell donor but the number of people needing a transplant keeps growing.

Do something amazing. Request a swab kit today and be a potential lifesaver.

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Each new potential donor costs us £40 to register. You can help cover our costs by making a gift today.

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