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Make a Match

This campaign seeks to promote registration to the aligned UK stem cell registry to enable more people to receive potentially life-saving stem cell transplants.

Background

Every twenty minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer. Often, replacing their cancerous blood cells through a blood stem cell donation from a matching donor is their best chance of survival.

Ideally, stem cells are taken from a family member of the person who needs them (siblings are the most likely to match your tissue type). However, according to NHS Blood and Transplant, 65-75% of people who require this treatment are unable to find a sibling match.

Most people, therefore, depend on finding a suitable donor on the aligned ‘Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry’. This is formed of Anthony Nolan, DKMS UK, NHS Blood and Transplant, and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry. There is also a global network of registries which can be searched.

While a number of organisations are already working on this issue, meeting the demand for suitable stem cell donors is recognised as a big challenge. DKMS UK says that many people die because they are unable to find a donor.

Currently, in the UK, only 2% of people are registered as stem cell donors. In order for more matches to be found, more people are urgently needed to join the registry.

How you can get involved

1. Share our WI Signup links. The NFWI has worked with Anthony Nolan and DKMS to create WI specific sign up links to the stem cell registry, which you can use yourself or share with those around you. These links will allow us to keep track of the number of people that sign up as a potential donor as a result of our Make a Match campaign.

DKMS/WI Signup link: www.dkms.org.uk/thewi
Anthony Nolan/WI Signup link: www.anthonynolan.org/WI

Signing up to become a stem cell donor is a personal choice and there are restrictions on who can register. Eligibility criteria vary across organisations involved in this process. Anthony Nolan, for example, focuses on people aged 16-30 on the basis that this age group provides the best outcomes for patients. While DKMS registers people aged between 18 and 55 who are in general good health and live permanently in the UK. People aged 17 can also ‘pre-register’ with them in advance. You can find out more about this and how to sign up by visiting their websites.

2. Take part in Blood Cancer Awareness Month. September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and and a great time to promote stem cell donation.

3. Share your experiences with us. If you have registered as a potential stem cell donor, donated your stem cells or received a transplant, we would love to hear your story. Stories can make a big difference when it comes to raising awareness, and so, with your permission, we may share these through our communication channels, including WI Life, the WI websites, Public Affairs resources and social media. Please email pa@nfwi.org.uk.

If you are a WI Member or WI Supporter, we have more ways to get involved on MyWI. Find out more here.

Find out more about stem cell donation

To support WI members to get involved with the campaign, the NFWI Public Affairs Team has produced a range of resources which can be found on this page.

If you are not already a WI member, the members decide the WI campaigns through a democratic vote. We would love to welcome a new WI member, please click here for further details.

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