The charity has revealed
today that, in South Basildon and East Thurrock there are more than 574
selfless people willing to donate their stem cells, or bone marrow, to save the
life of a stranger. More than 525,000 people are currently on the Anthony Nolan
register and the average per constituency is 796.
Anthony Nolan, now in its
40th anniversary year, was the world’s first bone marrow register.
The blood cancer charity has been saving lives for four decades by matching
remarkable people willing to donate their bone marrow to patients in desperate
need of a transplant.
Two thirds of UK patients
will not find a matching donor from within their families; instead they turn to
Anthony Nolan to find them an unrelated donor. But the charity can currently
only find a match for around half of those who to come to them in desperate
need, and they still urgently need more people to come forward.
Local MP, Stephen
Metcalfe, has joined the fight against blood cancer by sharing their support
and championing the the register in their community.
Commenting, Mr Metcalfe
said: “I have 574 heroes on the register here in South Basildon and East
Thurrock but the challenge continues. I’m hunting for more crusaders to sign up
today, so we can fight blood cancer together. It is something truly heroic to
give a stranger a second chance at life. This is why I’m proud to champion this
cause to my constituents.”
Ann O’Leary, Head of
Register Development at Anthony Nolan, says: “We are delighted that Mr Metcalfe
has been inspired to encourage others to sign up as donors. Donating is an
incredibly selfless thing to do and will give someone with blood cancer their
best chance at survival. What many people don’t realise is that it is also
surprisingly simple.”
To join the Anthony Nolan
register you must be 16-30 and in good health. It involves filling out a simple
online form and spitting into a tube.
The charity needs heroes
of all ages to champion the register at a local level and help us spread the
word – from schools, communities and workplaces to your own friends and family.
To find out how you can be a hero visit to www.anthonynolan.org/superhero
