YOU COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma and only around 30% of people with blood cancer find a matching donor within their family.
To register you must be between 17 and 55 years of age.
There are over 400,000 registered donors in the UK at present.
It is rare to find matching donors, so you may never be called upon at all. There is a 4-5% chance of being someone’s match in the next 10 years.
The kit will be sent out to your home address and it is a simple cheek swab.
Your blood stem cells will completely replenish themselves within 2-4 weeks of the collection.
When you join the stem cell registry you are on standby to matched and potentially save the life of anyone with a blood cancer or blood disorder who needs a blood stem cell donation.
Your blood stem cells will never be stored, they last for around 72 hours and are delivered straight to the person in need by a special courier.
You will stay on the register until your 61st birthday!
Types of Donation:
PERIPHERAL BLOOD STEM CELL COLLECTION:
This is when blood stem cells are collected from the donor’s blood stream by removing blood from one arm, running it through a machine that separates out the stem cells, then returning the blood to the donor through their other arm. Around 90% of donations are carried out using this method. This is a non surgical outpatient procedure and takes around 4-6 hours.
BONE MARROW COLLECTION:
This is when the blood stem cells are collected from the bone marrow at the back of the hip bone (not the spine). The procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic so that no pain is experienced. The collection itself takes 1-2 hours and most donors return to their regular activities within a week. This method is only used in around 10% of cases.
Do something amazing for 2019!
If you are already listed with the British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR), the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (WBMDR), or with Anthony Nolan, you should not re-register. Each of these organisations register donors to one single UK registry.
Register here https://www.dkms.org.uk/en/register-now
