PEOPLE in Huddersfield can now do something to help Adrian Sudbury save other lives.
The Examiner has organised a bone marrow clinic where people can give blood and go on the bone marrow register to possibly help some of the 16,000 people in the world now waiting for life-saving transplants.
Their chances rest on finding a tissue match with someone willing to donate their bone marrow.
But if that person is not a donor, the match will never be discovered.
That one person could be you.
If you want to find out whether you could save a life you can join the bone marrow donor register run by the Anthony Nolan Trust.
To make it easy for Examiner readers to join the register we have organised a clinic which will take place at Huddersfield Methodist Mission on Lord Street from 2pm until 7pm on June 18.
Anyone who wants to become a donor can drop in at the venue. First, you will speak to an Anthony Nolan Trust adviser to see if you meet the criteria to be a donor.
The main criteria are that you must be aged 18 to 40 and in good health.
If you meet the criteria a trained worker will take a small blood sample.
The blood will be sent for tissue typing and, if there are no problems, you will be registered as a donor.
All you have to do then is wait to be contacted if you are found to be a match. It could be weeks, months or years before this happens.
If you cannot attend the clinic there are other ways you can join the register.
You can contact the Anthony Nolan Trust by phone on 0901 88 22 234 or visit www.anthonynolan.org.uk and ask for a special pack.
You take this to your GP or local phlebotomy clinic and they will take a blood sample, which you send to the Anthony Nolan Trust in the post.
Or, if you give blood at National Blood Service clinics, you can ask to be added as a bone marrow donor next time you go to give your pint.
The Anthony Nolan Trust is a charity which keeps a register of UK donors and searches bone marrow registers in different countries to find matches for UK patients.
It faces a constant battle to recruit donors, especially young males and people from ethnic minority groups.
Currently, there are just over 12m donors registered in the world.
That seems like a lot, but when the chances of being a match are just one in several thousand, 12m suddenly appears a much smaller number.
Adding to that the problem is that each year people leave the register when they become too old to donate or if they develop certain medical conditions.
Kay Bascombe, national donor recruitment manager for the Anthony Nolan Trust, said: “It is a constant battle to keep the registers topped up. The more donors we have on the registers, the more likely it is to find a match.”
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman has lent his support to our campaign and has pledged to lobby senior Government figures for action to improve education about donation in schools and colleges.
He said: “I have had personal experience of the importance of bone marrow donation.
“One of my daughter’s friends died of leukaemia this year and it was a real tragedy.”
How you can become a donor:
There are two bone marrow donor registers in the UK, one run by the Anthony Nolan Trust and one run by the National Blood Service.
When a patient needs a donor both registers are searched, so you only need to join one.
To register as a donor you need to be:
– aged between 18 and 40, although donors stay on the register until their 60th birthday;
– In good health;
– Weigh at least eight stones or have a body mass index of less than 35;
– Be living in the UK for at least the next three years; and
– Be prepared to donate anonymously to any patient, anywhere in the world.
To sign up you can do one of two things. If you give blood you can ask the nurse if you can be put on the register.
Alternately, you can sign up through the Anthony Nolan Trust.
They hold donor recruitment clinics where you can drop in, give a blood sample and sign up.
Or you can contact the charity and ask for a kit, which you take to your GP. The GP will take a blood sample which you put into the special package provided and post off.
Once your sample has been received, the charity will screen it and conduct tissue typing and, if there are no problems, put you on the register.
When a patient needs a transplant, samples in the register are searched to see if they are a match. If your sample is a suitable match you will be contacted for further more detailed tests.
The bone marrow databases are costly to maintain so the charities involved really only want people to sign up if they are committed to help. You might not be called up straightaway, but years down the line.
It is especially important to remember to keep the register informed of any changes in your details once you’ve signed up.
What does the donation procedure involve?
There are many myths about what is involved in donating bone marrow. Some people believe a needle is inserted into the spine or that there is a risk of paralysis. This is wrong and, sadly, puts some people off becoming donors.
In fact, there are two ways that bone marrow donations are carried out.
The first – and most common – is similar to giving blood. Four days before donating, the donor is given injections of a natural hormone called granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) to stimulate the production of white blood cells.
The donor is then hooked up to a machine called a cell separator which takes their blood and separates out the stem cells required for the transplant.
The rest of the blood is returned to the donor’s body through a needle in their other arm. It takes just four hours.
The second method is called a bone marrow harvest. This involves taking marrow directly from the bone by inserting a needle.
This is required for some conditions such as aplastic anaemia. It involves the donor being given a general anaesthetic and having needles inserted into the bone to remove samples from various part of their body.
It involves an overnight stay in hospital, but should not have more serious side effects than soreness the next day.
For more in-depth detail about each method, plus videos, visit Adrian's blog at http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk
Here are some of the comments added to Adrian's blog over the past few days
I JUST read about you on the BBC news website. I am sorry to hear about the cancer returning but I think your decision is brave and very admirable. I sincerely wish you all the best in your last days and hope there is something better. Brian
I LIVE in the U.S. and I have been inspired by your story. If your mission is to have more people, no matter where they live, to sign up to donate then your goal is one step closer. I am now actively looking for a place to donate. God Bless You. Kevin, USA
I AM humbled at what you are doing and thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are making waves, big waves. Thank you, thank you! Annie (Steven's mom)
JUST seen your story in Metro and BBC News. Very humbling. Take care.SK
I CAME across your blog today and am truly amazed of the strength and courage you have to battle what you are going through - plus keep us readers informed of the needs and importance of the donations we can make to help make a difference. I live in a very small town in Wyoming, USA ( 400 people ) and to be honest we have all been very lucky not to experience any major illnesses. But because of this I think it has made us forget how lucky we are. Keep positive and remember you always have ones who love you.Jan, USA
AFTER reading your blog & some of the comments made, I too will be looking for somewhere I can donate.....I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and even though our health care system is in a bit of a crunch right now, there are so many people here with lots of time & money that I hope they too will try to donate. Diane Galley, Canada
MY name is Destiny from the US. I, quite literally, just heard about this blog and the amazing work that you're doing .
I know you don't consider yourself a hero, but because of your diligent pursuit to ensure that this doesn't happen to others...you are a hero. Eventually what you are going through and doing will save someone's life. Which makes you a hero in my book. Destiny Luttrell, USA
Today I sat and read your blog for the first time. I wish I knew about you sooner!
Not only did I read today’s but I started at the beginning.
You are a brave man. Stay strong and know you family and friends are always there to support your decision. Karrie, USA
I'D like to add my name to the long list of people who wish you all the best and would move heaven and earth to be able to help you, personally, right now.
I shall be asking for my name to be added to the register at my next blood donor session (in about 3 weeks) and encouraging my friends to do likewise. Charlotte, Chester
LISTENED to you on 5Live again yesterday and heard you mention the need for young males to sign up for the register.
Other than posters in pubs, it struck me that football might be a way of reaching this group. Cheryl
I'VE emailed your story to a very well known dutch radio station and they would like to speak to you to raise awareness in Holland and tell your story. Could you please email your contact details.
I will forward them immediately. Regards,
Elle Rowbottom
I HAVE just discovered your blog following the publicity on BBC. Three years ago I was diagnosed with CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia) for which there is no cure, but I am lucky enough to have a brother, who turned out to be a 100 per cent tissue match. He donated bone marrow (stem cells), I had a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant in November 2005 and I have been as right as rain ever since - back to normal. I really appreciate the importance of bone marrow matching from my own experience! Hang on in there mate and keep smiling!
Mike Durham, London
CONGRATULATIONS on the huge impact your campaign is having.
I have just signed up to start the process of finding out if I can become a bone marrow donor. Alexandra T.
YOU are an inspiration to us all. Keep going, you have so much more to give in this world, you can't go anywhere yet!! or ever. We are right behind you . All our best wishes Sarah and crew xxxx
JUST came across your blog and am devastated for you. I have a 19 year old daughter and can not even imagine what your parents are going through. YMay God bless you and your family.Ramona
I ADMIRE your courage and wish you the best. I can not say that I understand what you are going through, but I wish you all the enjoyment and happiness you may find. I recently caught myself complaining about the run of bad luck due to my poor history of health problems, but you brought me back down to earth. What I love most about your attitude is making the best of the everything. Many of us take for granted each and every day live with grudges or worry about little things when in the grand scheme of thins it makes little difference. I think it is great you blogging. I hope you enjoy each and every day,Jared
