Finn inspires ITV’s This Morning audience to take action

Thousands of people were inspired to take the first step to register as a potential lifesaver after hearing seven-year-old Finn Hill’s story.

On Tuesday 18 June, Finn and his parents Jo and Paul, appeared on ITV’s This Morning to share their story with hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby and urged viewers to join the registry to potentially give someone like Finn and others a second chance at life.

Earlier this year Finn was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening condition called familial HLH and is in need of a stem cell transplant. The family has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the importance of stem cell donations and register people aged between 17-55 and in generally good health.

Becoming a potential lifesaver

Holly Willoughby took the time to register as a potential lifesaver, along with This Morning’s soap expert Sharon Marshall and other crew members as we hosted a registration drive at the studio.

We are on a donor drive today on @thismorning for @dkms_uk ... having a simple swab from my cheek to determine if I’m a potential match and can donate blood stem cells... simple yet life saving. Only 2% of the U.K. are signed up to be a donor... that’s clearly not enough... come and join me... all details on how to donate are on the @thismorning app
An Instagram post shared by Holly Willoughby (@hollywilloughby) on Jun 18, 2019 at 2:10am PDT

After meeting Finn (and his puppet dog Dave!) today how could I not join the #stemcell registry? What an amazing gift it would be if I’m a match for someone and can help. Pls look up @DKMS_uk. It took just a few mins to do x https://t.co/QBbQKa4hiQ
Sharon Marshall (@Sharontweet) June 18, 2019

During the feature, Holly said: "I did it this morning… we set up a little clinic and lots of members of the crew did it. I didn’t know what the process was going to be. We’ve donated blood on here before and that was always very simple and easy and I was surprised at how simple and easy this was because in the back of my head I keep on thinking why haven’t I done this before? I think I assumed it was a much bigger process. Now I’ve done it – it’s so easy there is no reason for everybody not to do it."

Spike in registrations

Since the show aired over 8,500 people have requested their home swab kit online and viewers have generously donated over £5,000 to help cover the £40 cost to register a new donor. Finn said: "Everybody should sign up to become a donor. If you're not my match, you can still match somebody else and maybe save their life."

How you can help

A huge thank you to ITV’s This Morning for the opportunity to spread awareness and to everyone who has taken action in some way, shape or form.

If you've already registered, you can help by making sure your details are up to date. Anyone between the ages of 17-55 and in good general health can go on standby to potentially save a life. Check your eligibility and sign up as a potential blood stem cell donor. If you’re not eligible or you’re already registered, why not check out the other ways to get involved in the fight against blood cancer or help us cover donor registration costs.