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The campaign for bone marrow donors
It is every parent’s nightmare. Your child needs a bone marrow
transplant, but has a rare tissue type and there are no suitable donors
available.
This happened to the Maddocks family of Dewsbury. Three years ago,
10 year-old Alice Maddocks developed aplastic anaemia. But instead
of simply waiting and hoping for a match to be found, her parents
Carol and Dean took matters into their own hands.
They decided to start a campaign to increase the number of potential
donors registered – the more donors there are, the greater the
chance of finding a match, not just for Alice but for all patients
who need a bone marrow transplant.
They approached the NBS and a special blood donor session was set
up at Alice’s school where donors were encouraged to enrol on
the British Bone Marrow Register (BBMR). Many did so.
But the success of Alice’s appeal, and similar ones around the
country, put pressure on the limited resources of the NBS for testing
the samples and entering donors on the register. Staff in the labs
were working flat out and still couldn’t keep up with the number
of samples arriving.
Alice (centre) at home with mum Carol and dad Dean.
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Carol decided to
go to the top. Just before the last election, on BBC’s Question
Time, she confronted Tony Blair and told him funds were needed to
recruit more bone marrow donors.
It worked. In August 2001 plans for new funding were put in place.
The goal – to enable the BBMR to enrol 40,000 new donors each
year for the following three years. All the NBS had to do was to increase
its staff and lab equipment, boost administration of the BBMR and,
yes, enrol those potential donors.
Great success
We have just completed the first year, and what a success we’ve
had! In the year April 2002 – April 2003 the BBMR enrolled 42,634
new potential donors on its register – 7% ahead of target, and
an impressive 42% increase on 2001/2002. About 40% of the registrants
have new tissue types, which increases the chances of finding the
right match.
The BBMR has become the fastest growing bone marrow register and is
now the eighth largest of its kind in the world. The BBMR’s
growth during these past three years, nearly 90,000 enrolments, enables
us to support more transplants.
One person who enrolled recently is Mel Rodriguez from Chatham in
Kent.
Mel, 30, is mum to Keiran, 11, and Charlie, 4, and had been on the
BBMR since January. Two months later, she found out she was a possible
match for a patient.
“I couldn’t believe it,’ says Mel. But it was true.
She was told that she was a definite match for a critically ill patient.
Mel shrugged off any concerns about the procedure saying, “I
was a bit worried about the prospect of donating my bone marrow, but
every time I felt anxious I just thought about the patient and what
it meant for their family.”
Mel went into King’s College Hospital on May 12, to donate her
bone marrow the next day under a general anaesthetic (the medical
term is harvested). Mel says, “I woke up feeling very stiff
in my back, dehydrated and hungry. I did experience some discomfort
but I knew it would pass in a week.”
Mel left hospital the next day and spent the week taking it easy.
She says, “I would do it all over again. I have given a patient
and their family the very best chance they can have to survive and
that feels great.”
Knowing the battle
Mel’s own son, Keiran, battled against leukaemia for three years,
and she knows the desperation the patient and their family will have
felt.
“Keiran did not actually need a transplant in the end, but I
would have expected there to be one available. When you are a parent
in that position, you are just so grateful that someone else has thought
about this and put themselves forward as a donor. ”
Chris Cheshire, from Northfleet, found herself in this situation when
her daughter Georgia was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital
with leukaemia in 1995. There she met Mel, who was caring for her
son Keiran. The pair have been friends ever since.
Mel Rodriguez (centre), with Chris Cheshire (left), Kieran &
mum Val. |
Chris says, “Georgia
was extremely ill and I knew that a bone marrow transplant was her
only chance. I couldn’t believe it when they told me they might
never find one. When they did the relief was immense. Everyone on
that bone marrow register gave us hope.” Tragically, Georgia
did not survive long enough to have her transplant. But together with
Mel and Mel’s mum, Val, who was diagnosed with breast cancer
in 2000, they have continued to raise funds and awareness about leukaemia,
other cancers, and the constant need for blood and bone marrow donors.
Vital treatment
“All three of us have been affected by cancer, and nearly everyone
you meet knows someone affected by it,” says Mel. “Blood
and platelets are vital for almost all cancer care and sustained Georgia
and Keiran throughout their illnesses. They must have received many,
many units between them. This shows why the NBS has to collect 8,000
units of blood every day.”
Chris adds, “I hope our stories show that there are children
everywhere who need bone marrow transplants and, with just a small
sacrifice, you could give them their lives back.”
Alice Maddocks is just one of the many patients still waiting for
that special match. Her mother Carol has a message for blood donors
everywhere, ”Alice has received over 100 units of blood and
platelets and we are grateful for every single bag. Thank you.”
Could you be a bone marrow donor? We want to recruit another 40,000
this year. It could make the difference between life and death for
children like Alice Maddocks.
Joining the BBMR is easy. You need to be aged between 18 and 49 and
in general good health. You also need to be eligible to become a blood
donor. Before starting your donation just let staff know that you
would like to join the BBMR. That’s all there is to it! For
more information about this please call 0300 123 23 23
or click here
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