An appeal for more mixed-race bone marrow donors.

On the 17th of May 2004 (my 31st birthday!), my then fiancée Sarah was admitted to hospital, and within a 48hours diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). This came out of the blue, ten weeks before a wedding we were forced to postpone due to Sarah’s treatment. Thirteen months of remission, six months of treatment, four rounds of chemotherapy and one beautiful wedding later, we believed we had seen the last of this disease, only for Sarah to relapse 3 days before Xmas 2005. She started treatment this week, with two rounds of chemo scheduled to prepare her for a bone marrow transplant later in the year. We are just beginning the search for an appropriate match.

Both Sarah and I are mixed race, born to one white English parent and one parent first generation Black British, with two Jamaican grandparents. The donor who saves Sarah’s life will almost certainly have a similar mixed background, white European and black, although their origins could be different (i.e. from anywhere in world with a European bloodline mixed with, Caribbean or other heritage of the African Diaspora).

At the moment the age range to register new donors is 18 to 45, although you can still make a donation once registered until the age of 60. The reason that you can’t register between 45 and 60 is that it is not considered cost effective (the registration process costs about £75) to place people on the register who we know are definitely not going to be viable donors in fifteen years. I believe that in the case of ethnic minorities, where the chances of finding an appropriate match drop from 1 in 5 if you have only a Northern European heritage, to 1 in 100,000 if you are from ANY of the ethnic minorities (in other words it becomes 20,000 time less likely!) we must raise that to fifty five at least so that we can try and help the people who are suffering now. Advances in medical technology mean there is a chance inside ten years bone marrow donation might be a thing of the past (advances in stem cell technology have made huge strides) but there are people today we must save first. This policy is short-sighted and MUST change and change fast.

Living in one of the most culturally and racially diverse and integrated cities in the world means that I know one thing for certain. There is someone out there in London tonight who is a tissue type match with Sarah. All we have to is convince them to come forward and join the register and the doctors will do the rest.

Sarah, a teacher who works in the school in Peckham where she herself was a pupil, will be celebrating her 32nd birthday THIS Wednesday in an isolation room in a South London Hospital. If you don’t already know what present to give her to celebrate this joyous day, please call the ACLT and they will let you know what she would really like. What ever your heritage you could help somebody like you.

PS. If you are too old or too young, or if there is a medical reason why you can’t give the gift of life, please spread the word to your family and friends or anyone else who could help. Also the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) could always do with funds to help support them, supporting people like us.

Donations are possible via their website, www.aclt.org , or call 020 8667 1122.

Thanks you from both of us, in advance for your all your support. Remember, there is no justice, just us.

Mark & Sarah

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