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News Report Page 7 of 24
Publication Date:-
2023-09-15
 
News reports located on this page = 2.

Lifesavers Wanted!!! Liverpool mother urges North West community members to register as potential stem cell donors

VICKY Winn of West Derby, Liverpool has teamed up with blood cancer charity DKMS to urge her local community to register as potentially lifesaving stem cell donors this Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September). Vicky knows only how frightening a blood cancer diagnosis can be after her son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

Whilst Vicky was pregnant with her 2nd child, Harry (4) was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in November 2022. He has had a challenging year; after an initial intensive month of induction chemotherapy at:- Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, Harry became very ill with septic shock and spent 3 weeks in Hospital over Christmas. Harry is currently in remission, but will receive chemotherapy until December 2024. Fortunately Harry does not require a bone marrow transplant but if he were ever to relapse in the future, this may be required.

Vicky and DKMS are holding a Swab to Save a Child stem cell donor registration event on:- Sunday, 17 September 2023, at Tesco Superstore Car Park, Deysbrook Lane, Liverpool, L124YL, from:- 9am to 2pm to register new potential stem cell donors, who could give someone like Vicky's son a 2nd chance at life. Residents aged between: 17 to 55, and in general good health are encouraged to attend and register as a potential lifesaver.

New registration data reveals 14% of donors across England are from the North East, making it the Region with the 2nd highest percentage of donors. Yet there is still an urgent need for registrations to help meet the demand and potentially help save a life.

Over 2,000 people each year in the UK are in need of a stem cell transplant, but sadly only:- 3 in 10 will find a match within their family. Of those UK patients seeking a match with an altruistic stranger, 4 out of 10 are unable to find a match. This means every year thousands of people in the UK rely on a generous stranger registering as a stem cell donor with DKMS to save their life.

Vicky said:- "When Harry was 1st diagnosed, I was in denial and didn't want to be part of any community of mums with sick children. I just thought:- 'this is not my life.' Now, being part of this community and hosting a:- 'Swab to Save a Child' events in partnership with DKMS feels really empowering. It also gives us the opportunity to try and register enough people so that everyone currently waiting for a donation is able to find their match. You could potentially save a life by signing up, and the procedure if you are a match for someone in need is very similar to giving blood."

Fears around the donation process prevent many people from registering, but these worries are often caused by misconceptions around the donation process. 1 of the biggest fears is that donating stem cells is an invasive process. In reality, around 90% of all donations are made through a method called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC), which is similar to blood donation. Blood is passed through a machine that isolates the collects the stem cells. This is an outpatient procedure that is usually completed in around 4 hours.

In just 10% of cases, donors will be required to donate bone marrow. It is a 1 hour inpatient procedure carried out under general anaesthetic via a simple needle in the iliac (hip) bone. Bone marrow is not extracted from the spine, but from the pelvic bone. This small incision typically heals very quickly and usually you won't need stitches.

Things you didn't know about blood cancer:-

  • Every 20 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer.
     

  • Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
     

  • Every year, nearly 13,000 people die from blood cancer in the UK.
     

  • At any 1 time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant.
     

  • Just 3% of the UK's population are registered with DKMS as potential donors; and only a tiny proportion of these are from minority ethnic communities.
     

  • Patients from black, Asian or other minority backgrounds have a 37% chance of finding the best possible stem cell donor match, compared to 72% for northern European backgrounds.

Stephan Schumacher, Chief Executive of DKMS UK, said:- "Our mission at DKMS is to recruit potential donors so every patient in need of a stem cell donation can find their lifesaving match. We're proud to have given 105,000 patients a 2nd chance at life, and their families more time with their loved ones. There's still a long way to go to meet the demand and support families like Vicky's in their hour of need. If you're eligible, this Blood Cancer Awareness Month and beyond, you can make the difference of a lifetime."

The more people who register as stem cell donors, the more lives can be saved and 2nd chances at happiness given to families. The event in:- Tesco Superstore Car Park, Deysbrook Lane, Liverpool, L124YL, on:- Sunday, 17 September 2023, is part of a series of donor drives which will take place across the UK. A network of mums of children who have had blood cancer and blood disorders are fronting the events.

For those unable to attend the event but still interested in registering with DKMS, please visit:- DKMS.Org.UK.
 


The chain free hotspots where up to 61% of homes sell to a cash buyer

THE latest research from property purchasing specialist, House Buyer Bureau, has revealed the areas of the property market where home sellers have the best chance of securing a chain free transaction, with as many as 61% of all properties sold over the last year have been purchased by a cash buyer.

The property market has been cooling in recent months, but while house prices have only shown marginal signs of decline, the biggest challenge facing today's sellers is the ability to find a buyer in a position to proceed.

This heightened market uncertainty and the increasing cost of borrowing is causing many transactions to collapse. But there is 1 way to sidestep this market bottleneck and that's by finding a buyer with no onward chain.

It's for this reason that 1st time buyers are often the preferred choice of many sellers and analysis of Halifax data by House Buyer Bureau shows that you have the best chance of finding 1 in the South East. In 2022, 21% of all 1st time buyer purchases were located within the Region, with London (14%) and the North West (11%) also home to some of the highest levels of 1st time buyer activity.

However, despite offering the chance of a chain-free transaction, many 1st time buyers are also struggling with the increased cost of borrowing due to higher mortgage rates. Therefore, in the current market cash buyers are proving the golden egg when maximising your chances of a smooth and certain sale.

With money sitting in the bank, a cash buyer not only removes the dreaded chain from the equation, but there is no reliance on third parties when it comes to the provision of funds.

Further analysis of Gov data by House Buyer Bureau shows that over the last 12 months, 31% of all homes sold across Britain were purchased by cash buyers.

However, in East Lindsey, this percentage climbs as high as 61%, making it the best area of the market for sellers to secure a chain free, stress free sale.

North Norfolk also ranks high in this respect, with cash buyers accounting for 60% of all homes purchased over the last year.

Other areas to make the top 10 include:- West Devon (56%), the City of London (55%), Argyll and Bute (54%), Ceredigion (54%), East Devon (53%), Torridge (53%), Powys (52%) and Kensington and Chelsea (52%).

In contrast, you have the slimmest chance of securing a cash buyer in Barking and Dagenham, where they accounted for just 8% of all homes sold over the last 12 months.

Managing Director of House Bureau, Chris Hodgkinson, commented:- "A chain free transaction has always been the best way to tackle the otherwise uncertain task of selling a home. But it's fair to say that in the current market the appeal has never been greater. A consistent string of interest rate hikes has cultivated a great deal of uncertainty in recent months, with many buyers not knowing where they stand from 1 week to the next when it comes to their borrowing ability. As a result, buyer demand levels have fallen, chain breaks have become all too common and transaction timelines have increased, factors that only increase the level of stress and financial strain felt by those attempting to sell. While 1st time buyers offer a greater degree of certainty, it's cash buyers who hold the strongest position in the current market. The good news is that, as our research shows, they are extremely active in many pockets of the nation. The compromise, of course, is that you will have to throw them a bone in the form of a reduction in asking price. However, for the majority of sellers, this is a fair trade if it means getting their sale over the line in a continuously cooling market."

 
      
 
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