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Blood cancer charity tells
people in Liverpool they are almost unique
DELETE Blood Cancer UK is telling
people in Liverpool that they are almost unique, and that it is a good thing
because it means they could save a life. The charity says that there is usually
1 or 2 people in the general population with the same tissue type as you and
that you share a potentially lifesaving link with them. They say that having the
same tissue type as another person means that you could help save their life by
donating some of your blood stem cells to them if they needed them to cure a
blood cancer; and that they could do the same for you.
The charity says that, while it is wonderful that 1 person could save the life
of another who was a tissue type match for them, this can only happen if they
are registered to be on standby to donate some of their blood stem cells to
someone who needs them. That is why the charity is highlighting the fact that
most of us have tissue type matches with other people but that it is usually
only a few people in the general population who could save their life, and that
it is therefore crucial that they are registered to donate some of their blood
stem cells.
There are currently over 500 people in Liverpool registered with the charity to
be on standby to donate some of their blood stem cells to someone who needs them
for their survival. However, the charity says that many more people from
Liverpool are eligible to register and it is encouraging them to go on standby
to save a life.
As Deirdra Taylor, Director of Communications and Donor Relations at Delete
Blood Cancer UK, explains:- "By putting yourself on standby to donate some
of your blood stem cells to another person, you could give them a second chance
of life. Above all, you will now know that nobody, whose life you could have
saved by donating some of your blood stem cells to them, will die because you
aren't registered. If you register, and do match to a patient, you will possibly
be found to be their only match."
You can register in 5 minutes online and request a cheek swab kit that will
enable you to do your own tissue test to become a potential stem cell donor
through the Delete Blood Cancer UK
website. |
