Wing walk to find lifesaving donors
Blood cancer patient Peter McCleave, who has life-threatening cancer, social media influencer Sally Hurman, and former leukaemia patient Lisa Jackson completed a daring wing walk in support of DKMS.
The wing walk, which took place at Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Essex, brought together three people with a personal connection to blood cancer, to highlight Peter’s search for a lifesaving blood stem cell donor, and to shine a light on Blood Cancer Awareness Month (1 – 30 September).
'You’ve Got it in You'
DKMS’s theme for this year’s awareness month is 'You’ve Got it in You'. The initiative urges people between the age of 17-55 to make a difference by taking the first step to becoming a blood stem cell donor and a potential lifesaver.
Pete said: “I’ve been searching for a match for four years now. If we can get more people to register with DKMS, that will help give me and other blood cancer patients a second chance of life.
"I haven’t felt this alive for years and to have done it alongside Sally, Lisa and Jo Hill (who shaved her beautiful hair for DKMS) made it all the more fun.”
Relieved to be back on the ground
DKMS supporter Sally Hurman said: “I feel relieved to be down, but I knew I’d have a safe landing. But there are people with blood cancer and blood disorders who desperately need a blood stem cell donor to survive, and they don’t have that guarantee that things will be fine. I want to thank everyone for their support and donations.”
Former leukaemia patient Lisa Jackson said: “I was so scared beforehand because it was way out of my comfort zone. But I knew deep down, as a former blood cancer patient, that I had gone through so many scarier things before. Hopefully, I have shown people that if I can do this, then they can register to be a potential lifesaver.”
The trio became a quartet when Jo Hill, the mother of former patient Finn, bravely shaved her head for us. Incredibly, the ‘Fab Four’ managed to raise a fantastic £10,774 and counting!
Jonathan Pearce, Chief Executive, DKMS, said: “We need more people to come forward to become stem cell donors. We have witnessed a 50% decrease in registrations since the Pandemic took hold. The more people we have on the Register, the more chance there is that a donor on the Register could be that potential lifesaver for someone with blood cancer.”
How you can help
If you are age 17-55 and in general good health, 'You’ve Got it in You' to be a potential lifesaver for someone with blood cancer. Start by registering online for your home swab kit at www.dkms.org.uk/register-now.
