New data released by blood cancer charity DKMS UK reveals that just 3.3% of 16-55’s in the North East are registered as potential stem cell donors with DKMS – just slightly above the UK average of 3.1%.

Things you didn’t know about blood cancer:
1.Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
2.At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant.
3.Of those registered, only 16 % are from UK minority ethnic backgrounds. This makes it more difficult for patients from these backgrounds to find a matchAs the UK marks World Blood Cancer Day on 28 May, DKMS is calling on people across the North East to take action, and help to give people with blood cancer and serious blood disorders hope of a second chance at life by joining the stem cell donor register – which is quick and easy

Every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer. For many patients, a stem cell transplant from a matching donor on the register is their best or only chance of survival – but only a very small proportion of the UK population are currently registered as potential donors.

Kam with Fin the horse

One person who joined the register, and was called up to help a patient the their time of need is Kanwaljit (Kam) Saundh, 49, from Consett. He is an analyst in the microbiology lab at Northumbrian Water. He joined the register five years ago, alongside his partner Katie, whose brother had previously been treated for blood cancer.

“Katie’s dad had just had a cancer diagnosis, and it got her thinking again about her brother and the stem cell donor register,” says Kam. “You can feel a bit helpless when someone is sick, but this was something practical we could do. She’d heard there was a shortage of Asian donors on the register, so she thought it was especially important that I got signed up too. It took only took a few minutes”
Just 16% of the register are from UK ethnic minority backgrounds, so patients from these backgrounds often have longer to wait for a potentially lifesaving transplant.

Kam on donation day

Last year, DKMS reached out to tell Kam he had been matched to a patient who was seriously ill, and in need of a stem cell transplant. He did some tests, and a few weeks later, it was confirmed that he was a match. Tragically, he received this call on the day after Katie’s father passed away from cancer, the very diagnosis that had inspired him to join the register in the first place.

“It was a hard time, and I didn’t want to be away too much as the funeral was still being arranged, but Katie was adamant that I would go and donate no matter what,” says Kam. “We all knew that giving someone else a chance to recover was the most important thing, and we knew that’s what her dad would have wanted.”

The donation was initially postponed as the patient became more seriously ill. Ultimately however, they became well enough to receive Kam’s cells, and he travelled to London to donate.

At this stage, the patient was a total stranger, as there is strict anonymity for patients and donors following a transplant. However shortly after the donation, Kam was able to find out more about the person at the other side of the transplant. To his shock, doctors revealed that his stem cells had been immediately transferred to the airport, and within 24 hours, they were on the other side of the world, where a school-aged boy in Australia was waiting for a potentially lifesaving transplant.

“That was emotional, absolutely,” says Kam. “It’s terrible to think that someone so young had to go through all that, but I’m glad that I could help someone who needed it so badly. It’s great to know that I was able to give him a second chance.”

For World Blood Cancer Day, hope starts in the North East – we’re calling on people across the region to get on the stem cell donor register. When a patient needs a stem cell transplant, most will not find a donor in their immediate family. Patients like Kam’s young recipient in Australia will rely on finding a stranger on the register who is a compatible stem cell match, and who can offer them a second chance at life, like Kam was able to do. Joining the register means that you could offer that lifeline for someone in their time of greatest need. Most people will never be called to donate, but if you are, you have the potential to save someone’s life, and DKMS will support you at every step.

Kam is marking World Blood Cancer Day with DKMS UK by encouraging people to order a free swab kit via the DKMS website (dkms.org.uk), complete some simple cheek swabs, and return them to be added to the register.

Signing up to the stem cell donor register is a quick and easy process involving some painless mouth swabs: if you are aged 16-55 and in general good health, you're eligible to join the register with DKMS. If you are then matched with someone needing a transplant, in nine out of ten cases donating is a simple, outpatient process similar to donating blood platelets.