Every One of You Reading This Has the Opportunity to Save Another Person’s Life…
By MARIE LEVY
TODAY we back the campaign launched by brave journalist Adrian Sudbury, left
The lives of people like Adrian depend on bone marrow transplants.
Read the stories told here by Adrian, and Lindsey … and then ask could YOU become a lifesaving donor?
Leukaemia
ABOUT 7,000 people are diagnosed with leukaemia every year in the UK.
Leukaemia is a cancer of the blood that occurs when abnormal white blood cells are produced by the body, usually in very large numbers.
It is the most common cancer in children, accounting for one third of cases.
Only 30% of patients needing a transplant will find a matching donor from within their own family.
Approximately 16,000 people worldwide currently require a donor.
Be a donor
What is bone marrow?
It’s a soft tissue, in the centre of certain bones, which creates stem cells – “building blocks” that can grow into healthy red cells, which carry oxygen, white cells, which fight infection, or platelets, which stop bleeding.
Why are donors needed? Leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and diseases of the immune system stop bone marrow working properly. For many patients, a stem cell transplant is the only hope of a cure.
How do I become a donor? Contact the British Bone Marrow Register on 0845 7 711 711 or www.blood.co.uk or The Anthony Nolan Trust on 020 7284 1234 or www.anthonynolan.org.uk
Adrian’s story
JOURNALIST Adrian Sudbury, has been told he has weeks, or at best a few months, to live.
The 26-year-old, who told the story of his fight against two forms of leukaemia to the world through his award-winning blog, has been given the devastating news that his bone marrow transplant has failed.
Determined to make the most of the time he has left, Adrian is focusing on a campaign to recruit as many new bone marrow donors as possible and to raise awareness in schools and colleges.
He recently met Prime Minster Gordon Brown and other Government ministers to promote bone marrow donation.
“My dying wish is that everyone reading this will think again about bone marrow donation,” said the Huddersfield Examiner journalist.
“In around 75% of cases, the procedure is not too dissimilar from giving blood.
“If more people knew that, then the 7,000 children and adults who are still waiting for a transplant might have a chance of surviving.
“Every one of you reading this has the unique opportunity to save another human being’s life.
“If it wasn’t for the kindness and generosity of a 30-year-old woman in Germany, I would have died well over a year ago.”
In November 2006, Adrian was promoted to digital journalist in charge of the Examiner’s website. But just two days into his new job, he became seriously ill.
A week later, he drove himself to hospital and was diagnosed with leukaemia.
His only option was to have a bone marrow transplant.
After this he was given the all-clear, but last month test results showed that the leukaemia had come back and that further treatment would be unlikely to cure it.
Alex Frazier, of the Anthony Nolan Trust said the charity was backing Adrian’s campaign.
He said: “Currently thousands of patients are anxiously waiting to find a suitably matched bone marrow donor and not enough has been done to educate people about the benefits of donation.”
Sign Adrian’s petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bone-marrow
See Adrian’s blog and videos showing what it is like to be a donor at http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/2008/05/ apleaformorebonemarrowdo.html#more
(c) 2008 Evening Gazette – Middlesbrough. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.