Sign the Bone Marrow Register
In our Embarrassing Bodies special on Charlotte Wilson we showed the technique used to source donor bone marrow from Charlotte’s younger sister. Charlotte was one of the lucky 30% who found a match through a relative, but 70% of patients suffering from leukaemia and other blood disorders rely on strangers who have joined bone marrow registers, such as that of The Anthony Nolan Trust.
The Anthony Nolan Trust was established in the early 1970s and has grown from the personal crusade of one mother to become a world leader in the field of tissue type analysis and tissue transplant technology.
Charlotte was fortunate in that she had an exact match in her younger sister, but many people don’t have close relatives that are able to donate, and that is where the The Anthony Nolan Trust comes in. There are 1,400 people in the UK and 16,000 people worldwide who require a bone marrow transplant. In 2008 The Anthony Nolan Trust supplied over 800 people with transplants, but this was still only half of the total number of people requiring a transplant. A transplant is usually a patient’s last hope of survival, so the need for more donors is urgent.
The Anthony Nolan Trust holds regular recruitment clinics, but it is easy for people to apply to join the register by going to the charity’s website and requesting a registration pack.
By sending in a saliva sample and filling in the medical form, successful applicants will be added to the register and matched against people suffering from a variety of blood diseases.
There are two methods for collecting bone marrow, detailed here, with the vast majority of donations taking place via PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell collection) – a method similar to giving blood undertaken as a simple outpatient appointment.
To find out more about The Anthony Nolan Trust click here >
To request a saliva pack and join the bone marrow register click here >
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im 18 and happy to help if needed
I have a number of medical problems such as a Primary Immune Deficiency. Would I still be able to become a donor?
Im also 14 & i know i can't donate yet until 18. But can i still register my name? and wait until im 18 or not?
yes you can you can register your name but cant donate yet
I am 45. Would I still be eligible to donate?
I have a breast absess and I have just finished taking co-amoxiclav tablets 625mg. I still have a lump, I go back to telford hospital next wednesday what do you think they will say, my breast is still sore.
Once I have my degree and am sure I have time to commit to this i'm going to apply. A couple of weeks of discomfort could save someone's life. It's Charlotte's story that really inspired me. I didn't know the extent of how helpful a small amount ofbone marrow can be yet how scarce donations come by for some. Thank you Charlotte and Embarrassing Bodies. I'm sure you've made others come to such realisations x.
I am 16 am i aloud to be a bone marrow doner
I'm afraid not I'm 16 and really want to be a BM donar to but you must be between 18 and 50 the website with all the info is below. http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/bonemarrow/ Although I think you can sign up for Organ Donation its not much and is only really relevant when your dead but is still something to be pround of.
No, you can start donating blood at 17, I just started, and you can register for bone marrow donation at 18 :)
I want to be able to donate but I'm under 18, can I still Register to donate?
can anyone be donor
You do have to be 18, the reason why her little bro and sis could donate was because the where blood relatives and probably her only shot depending. http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/bonemarrow/
You have to be between 18 and 50.
u dont have to be 18 to be a donor because in charlotte's case her younger sister donated
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