Kainos employees join forces for stem cell donor drive
Celebrating 15 years since his life-changing donation, Peter Tumilson has a new mission.
On 16 May, Peter Tumilson, an Agile Team Lead with digital services firm Kainos in Belfast, organised a stem cell donor registration drive with the help of a number of his colleagues. Inspired by his own life-changing experience as a donor, they used their annual volunteer day to make an impact and enrol as many new potential donors as possible.
Peter, who registered as a stem cell donor during his university years, knows first-hand the huge difference a single donation can make. In 2009, he matched with a patient who has now successfully recovered following the transplant. This year is 15 years since Peter’s donation, which he wanted to mark. He shared "That young person has had 14 extra Christmases so far with their family."
Success at Kainos
The drive at Kainos’ office in Belfast achieved 103 new registrations. This means 50% of those who were in the Kainos Belfast office on that day are now potential lifesavers, ready to offer hope to people living with blood cancer and blood disorders. Peter expressed great pride, saying "It's such an easy thing to do, and it makes such a big difference."
One of Peter's colleagues, Claire, said "It’s not every day you get to register to potentially save someone’s life in the office. A big thanks to everyone involved at Kainos who made it simple for myself and many other colleagues to register to become stem cell donors with DKMS, the world's largest stem cell register."
This event is important given the distinct numbers: over 2,000 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant each year, yet only 7% of the entire eligible population in the UK is registered as potential stem cell donors. The Kainos drive is a step toward close this gap and shows the power of community.
Peter's commitment continues
Motivated by the success of the event, Peter plans to keep promoting stem cell donor registration, hoping to inspire others inside and outside Kainos.
As Peter and his team at Kainos have shown: every registration matters, and every volunteer can be a hero. Their work reminds us that by taking small steps together, we can make a big difference for those waiting for a miracle.
Inspired by Peter's story? Reach out to us to learn how you can also hold a stem cell registration drive at your organisation to potentially help save lives.
