Race Against Blood Cancer
Julie
Child
General Manager
Mission
Stem cell and bone marrow transplants are now regularly used as a curative treatment for patients with blood cancer, such as lymphoma, myeloma and leukaemia. However, only one in four people with blood cancer find a matching donor in their family, so many people are reliant on a donation from a stranger.
The chances of finding a donor vary greatly; of the 2,000 people in the UK currently searching for a transplant, only 50% will find a successful match. Not only that, but if you are a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) blood cancer patient, you have a significantly lower chance of finding a suitably matched donor due to the lack of diversity of the stem cell register; while White Northern Europeans needing a donor have a 69% chance of a best possible stem cell match, people from a BAME background have just a 20% chance of achieving the same.
We want all blood cancer patients to have an equal chance of finding a best-possible stem cell donor match.
Our ultimate goal is to increase the total number of people on the stem cell and bone marrow register, with a particular emphasis on increasing the sign up from minority groups – whether defined by race, ethnicity or gender – who are vastly underrepresented on the donor registry at present.
Category
Health
Additional Information
We have a simple overarching strategy to define our mission:
1. Raise awareness of the issue and improve apathy.
2. Educate people on the process of becoming a donor and demystifying the many myths.
3. Help simplify the sign up process and make this more accessible.
Since our inception in July 2015, we have recruited more than 9,500 new donors to the register. Nearly 100 of these people have been matched to a patient in need, with 12 going on to donate their stem cells or bone marrow to a patient in need, giving them a second chance at life.
