1,000 of you have signed up to the bone marrow register in Sheffield

1,000 young people, most of whom are students, have signed up to the bone marrow donation register since September, Sheffield Marrow has announced.

Sheffield Marrow is a student volunteering organisation which has teamed up with blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan, to help to find healthy blood donors for their bone marrow register. The charity saves lives by matching patients with blood cancer, such as leukaemia, to donors who have given either bone marrow or blood cells for transplants. In particular, young men and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) donors are needed.

Charlotte Cunliffe, Marrow Programme Lead at Anthony Nolan, said, "It’s amazing what these Sheffield students have achieved – their efforts are invaluable for our work in delivering lifesaving transplants for people with blood cancer. 1000 sign-ups is no easy achievement, and we hope their great work continues."

Since Marrow’s formation in 1997, they’ve recruited over an extraordinary 85,000 potential donors onto the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register and of those recruited, 786 people have gotten a second chance at life through successful donations.

Young men are most likely to be chosen but unfortunately, they only make up about 15 per cent of the register. They are also in need of donors from BAME backgrounds.

However, Marrow’s success does not mean that more young students, like yourselves, are not still needed. Anthony Marrow claim that around 2,000 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant from a stranger every year – that’s a lot of people, so they’re never short of needing more donors!

Niamh Hynes, society President of Sheffield Marrow, explains how effortless it is to sign up to be a donor. "What many people don’t realise is how easy it is to join the register… all you have to do is fill out a simple form and take a cheek swab. If you are a match for someone, most people will donate in a straightforward outpatient procedure, similar to giving blood." As long as you’re aged between 16 and 30, weigh at least 50kg and you’re in good health, you’re good to go.

It's literally this simple

Anthony Nolan claims that every 20 minutes, someone in the UK is told they have a blood cancer. For many, a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant is their only chance.

To find out more information by searching Sheffield Marrow on Facebook, and register to be a match online at www.anthonynolan.org to help to save lives.