Match4Lara: save a life in Durham this afternoon

Today you’re being given the chance to save the life of a Durham student’s sister.

Between 3-6 PM today you are being asked to help save a woman’s life who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in December 2015.

Due to her mixed race heritage, finding a stem cell donor is incredibly difficult and complex, with only 3 per cent of those on the public donor registries being of a similar heritage. Therefore, it is vital that as many people are tested as possible in order to find a match.

The campaign, advertised across social media with the phrase Match4Lara, is calling for us to give Lara and others like her the most incredible gift imaginable.

In just 15 minutes, you can give a sample at Kensworthy Hall, St Mary´s College, this afternoon. By giving a small spit sample, you are providing the first step to saving the lives of Lara and others like her.

Emily Rose Morgan, who organised the event, told The Tab: “As the student led arm of Anthony Nolan I think Marrow plays a great role in increasing awareness and getting more people to join the Anthony Nolan register. Student involvement is vital because volunteers bring so much energy to the charity and as more students join the register it helps word spread throughout the student community.

“We’re very excited about the attention the Save a Life Session (SALS) at St Mary’s is getting and hopefully we will find a match for Lara today. We have another SALS on the 10th February at St Aidan’s and if anyone can’t make it today it would be fantastic to see them there.”

The group are also interested in volunteers, and should message James Worthington on Facebook or simply approach an organiser at one of these events.

In Bristol yesterday, 820 people signed up to the Anthony Nolan register which matches remarkable people willing to donate their bone marrow to those that need it for a transplant.

Celebrities such as Hugh Laurie and Mark Wahlberg have pledged their support on Twitter. With Hugh declaring: “You could do a wonderful thing.”

If you are unable to go to today´s session, you can have your own spit kit sent free of charge, making it easy and quick to support the fight against cancer.