Category Archives: Stem Cell Donation

Carl Ikeme’s BIG Race Against Blood Cancer

December 11, 2019Carl Ikeme, Challenge, Events, Fundraiser, News & updates, Stem Cell DonationCarl Ikeme, Challenge, Diversity, events, Fundraising, upcoming eventsJulie Child

We are delighted to be working with former professional goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, on a huge challenge for 2020. Carl, along with a group of other fundraisers, will be taking on a huge 555 mile cycle challenge across England to raise funds for the charity and awareness of the issues surrounding stem cell registration – especially among the BAME community.

As Carl says: “After my own diagnosis with leukaemia back in 2017, I discovered that my treatment options would be limited due to the lack of ethnic diversity on the stem cell register. Race Against Blood Cancer is trying to change all that; I’ve been involved with the team for more than a year now and so wanted to take on a challenge to raise funds and awareness, as well as creating opportunities to increase the number of potential stem cell donors on the register.

Though I was signed to Wolverhampton Wanderers for my entire career, I also played on loan for a number of other clubs and this gave me an idea. Building on the training I did for a recent bike ride, I’m planning to cycle 555 miles in six days, stopping off at all the clubs I represented during my career.

I’ll start at Middlesbrough on Monday 4 May, before winding my way down (and then back up!) the country, finishing at Wolves during half time on Saturday 9 May. The route I’ll take is as follows:

A map showing Carl's route — A map showing Carl’s route

Day 1 (4 May) Middlesbrough – Accrington Stanley – Stockport County TOTAL 132 miles
Day 2 (5 May) Stockport County – Doncaster Rovers – Sheffield United TOTAL 83 miles
Day 3 (6 May) Sheffield United – Leicester City – Northampton (rest stop) TOTAL 110 miles
Day 4 (7 May) Northampton (rest stop) – Charlton Athletic – QPR TOTAL 90 miles
Day 5 (8 May) QPR – Southam (rest stop) TOTAL 90 miles
Day 6 (9 May) Southam (rest stop) – Wolves TOTAL 50 miles”
If you wish to sponsor Carl, please visit his fundraising page at www.virginmoneygiving.com/carlikeme or for more information about the event contact us

Interested in Sponsoring this event? Corporate Sponsorship Brochure RABC 2020

Tagged under - December 11, 2019Carl Ikeme, Challenge, Events, Fundraiser, News & updates, Stem Cell DonationCarl Ikeme, Challenge, Diversity, events, Fundraising, upcoming eventsJulie Child

Help Christmas Wishes Come True

November 21, 2019Donation, Fundraiser, Fundraising, Matched donations, Patient Story, Stem Cell Donationappeal, christmas, donation, Fundraising, Race Against Blood Cancer, saving livesJulie Child

Today, five people will begin their search for a stem cell donor, could you buy them a second chance at life this Christmas?

In 2020, we aim to launch a pilot project in the West Midlands to recruit 11,000 new donors – especially those from minority groups – to the stem cell and bone marrow register.
We need your help to make this happen.

The Trustees at the Roger Counter Foundation have generously agreed to match the first £15,000 of donations to the project so any gift you make is doubled.

Please, help Christmas wishes come true.

A number of our supporters have kindly agreed to share their own stories in the hope you feel able to support this year’s appeal:

Khaleel with his sisters and brother — We worked with Kelly and her family to find Khaleel (left) a donor

The Patient’s Story
Kelly explains how important our community work is to families that are seeking a stem cell donor:
“We became involved with Race Against Blood Cancer through a member of the team when my son, Khaleel, relapsed with leukaemia. He needed an urgent stem cell transplant and the charity ran donor drives all over to try to get more people to sign up to the register and find him a match.
The charity makes a huge difference in the community, pretty much everyone locally now knows how important becoming a donor is. People always make a point of telling me how they’ve signed up at one of the donor drives as soon as they realise Khaleel’s my son. It makes me proud to know that he helped the charity to spread the word of the importance of being on the stem cell register.
Sadly Khaleel passed away after his transplant but we continue to work with Race Against Blood Cancer; every year the charity holds a fun day ‘Remembering Khaleel’ it’s always a great turn out and they sign up more new donors to help other patients seeking a match’.

James Burton — James donated his stem cells to give a patient in Australia a second chance at life

The Donor’s Story
James explains why he’s supporting our appeal for funding this Christmas:
‘Friends of mine started the charity when one of our group was diagnosed with blood cancer, so I jumped at the chance to join the register. A couple of years passed and I was told I was a match for a patient in Australia; I went on to donate my stem cells shortly after.
To me, the work that the charity does is so important, in an ideal world there would be a presence in every community. Having a Community Engagement Manager in the West Midlands will mean an increase in the number of registered donors, resulting in more people across the world being offered the chance of life-saving treatment.”

Bex (right) became involved with the charity after donating stem cells for her sister Natalie (shown)

The Volunteer’s Story
Our volunteer – and stem cell donor – Bex, is urging you to make a donation to support our work:
“My sister was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 2016. Following her first bone marrow transplant, we became involved with Race Against Blood Cancer and have supported the team since.
Being visible on a local level not only increases support but helps to raise awareness of the charity’s message and ethos. It is essential that we get more people on the donor register – things could have been so different for my sister. Everyone diagnosed with a blood disorder should have an equal chance of survival.”

Two of our latest donors — Our new donors are registered through DKMS

The Partner’s Story
Our registry partner DKMS explains the impact of having a local presence, and with this much achieved at ad-hoc events, imagine what we could achieve with a full-time Community Engagement Manager:
“From the very beginning, the West Midlands Race Against Blood Cancer representatives have been fundamental in driving the recruitment of donors to the stem cell register, with the volunteer team holding more than 70 events.
The fact that there is a local presence offering awareness, education and support, provides those affected and their families with the knowledge that their community are able to help and want to support them at such a time. This is an enormous boost and cannot be underestimated. The reassurance that such an important message and service is being facilitated by another organisation dedicated to trying to offer patients a second chance at life is a fact that we at DKMS value greatly.”

Tagged under - November 21, 2019Donation, Fundraiser, Fundraising, Matched donations, Patient Story, Stem Cell Donationappeal, christmas, donation, Fundraising, Race Against Blood Cancer, saving livesJulie Child

Record London donor drive

May 17, 2019Donor Drive, Events, News & updates, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, donor, donor drive, donor registration, London, Race Against Blood Cancer, saving lives, stem cell donorJulie Child

This week saw the team do their first donor drive with Starcom, who are based in the BBC Televison centre in White City London.

The team set up for two days due to the number of occupants in the building and it was well worth it. There was a steady flow of people over the course of the event and everyone there was helpful and friendly.

In the end they managed to sign up a whopping 266 people!!!!! This is an incredible number and couldnt have been acheived without all the help we received. A massive thank you to Amy Kean and Lorena Di Lello for organising the event, Jayde Jarret, Ellis Parsons, Sarah Robson, Neville, Darren and Alex for helping out over the course of the two days. A special thank you to Emily Carroll from Homeslice for providing us with food over the two days and everyone who came down to sign up and continues to raise awareness.

Two of the Starcom team that signed up at the event

Tagged under - May 17, 2019Donor Drive, Events, News & updates, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, donor, donor drive, donor registration, London, Race Against Blood Cancer, saving lives, stem cell donorJulie Child

Thank you Telford

May 5, 2019Donor Drive, News & updates, Patient Appeal, Stem Cell Donation, Volunteeringdonor drive, Ihsan Khan, Midlands, patient appeal, stem cell donorJulie Child

What an awesome turnout on Friday and Saturday at local Mosques in Telford where we signed up people to the stem cell register in the hope of finding a donor for 6 year old local boy Ihsan Khan.

Our amazing team of volunteers led by our community engagement manager, Gemma Elsmore, managed to register 200 people in a combined time of just 6 hours!

Thank you to everyone involved and to all those from the community who registered and showed up to support Ihsan and his family – you have given hope to them and many others searching for lifesaving matches

We would also like to say a special thanks to both venues for allowing us to hold the donor drives at short notice, Imran (Ihsan’s Dad) and the amazing team that helped register on the day – you continue to blow us away with your generosity.

We’ve had an amazing response from the local community who have come together to spread awareness of this important cause – keep your eyes peeled for further donor drives. Or, if you’d like to register as a potential donor online, please click here

Tagged under - May 5, 2019Donor Drive, News & updates, Patient Appeal, Stem Cell Donation, Volunteeringdonor drive, Ihsan Khan, Midlands, patient appeal, stem cell donorJulie Child

URGENT – Can you help Ihsan find a donor?

April 30, 2019Donor Drive, Events, Patient Appeal, Patient Story, Stem Cell Donationdonor registration, drive, events, Ihsan Khan, Midlands, patient appeal, saving lives, stem cell donor, upcoming eventsJulie Child

Six year old Ihsan Khan, from the Telford area, urgently needs a stem cell/bone marrow match to help treat his Aplastic Anaemia.

We are working with Ihsan’s family to recruit potential donors at events being held this week. These being:

Friday 3 May 2019 4.30-7.30pm
Jamia Masjid Ghousia, Regent Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1PF

Saturday 4 May 2019 – 12-3pm
Telford Central Mosque 88-90 King Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1NZ

If you are unable to get to either event but still want to sign up, you can do so here. Please help: even if you aren’t a match for Ihsan, you could be for one of the other 2,000 people in the UK currently waiting for a match.

Photo shows Ihsan Khan and his Mum Assia

Tagged under - April 30, 2019Donor Drive, Events, Patient Appeal, Patient Story, Stem Cell Donationdonor registration, drive, events, Ihsan Khan, Midlands, patient appeal, saving lives, stem cell donor, upcoming eventsJulie Child

Our newest volunteer – Rebecca Richards

April 18, 2019Donor Drive, Events, News & updates, Stem Cell Donation, Thank you, Volunteeringdonor drive, donor registration, events, Midlands, saving lives, volunteeringJulie Child

Our grateful thanks to Rebecca Richards – the newest member of our volunteering team -who ran her first two donor drives for us last week. Her first took place at Bloor Homes (Midlands branch) where she signed up 20 potential stem cell donors and she then registered a further 20 at Sunday’s UK Triathlon Events Birmingham Run. Many thanks to Rebecca for a great week of sign ups, those who allowed us to host our donor drives and to all those potential lifesavers who registered with us.

We would also like to show our appreciation to Amie, James, Jen and Afy for volunteering their time last week and helping to help raise awareness of the work we do. Thank you everyone!

If you’d like to find out more about volunteering for the charity and running your own donor drives on our behalf, please contact us.

Tagged under - April 18, 2019Donor Drive, Events, News & updates, Stem Cell Donation, Thank you, Volunteeringdonor drive, donor registration, events, Midlands, saving lives, volunteeringJulie Child

Donor Match Stuart Freeman tells us about his stem cell donation experience

September 3, 2018News & updates, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, Charity, Race Against Blood Cancer, saving lives, stem cell donorRace Against Blood Cancer

Earlier this year we were thrilled to hear that one of our donor sign ups in 2017, Stuart Freeman, had been matched with a patient in need. In July this year we were pleased to accompany Stuart on his visit to the London Clinic where he harvested his stem cells for the first time and was able to donate these cells to give his recipient a second chance at life.

We interviewed Stuart after his donation to give us some insight into his experience of being a stem cell donor and potential life saver.

How and why did you originally register as a potential blood stem cell/bone marrow donor?

I was with my brother at the Lilleshall 10k running event last year where Race Against Blood Cancer were holding a donor drive. I knew of someone who had blood cancer but I knew nothing about the stem cell or bone marrow donors or how they are used to help blood cancer patients. However, when I was shown how easy the sign up process was I went ahead and registered.

How did you find out you were a match for someone and how did you feel?

DKMS called to tell me I was a match for a patient in need – I obviously wanted to do it but like most people I did feel a little nervous as I hadn’t really researched the actual donation process beforehand, and didn’t know if there may be any long term side effects. Once I spent a bit of time researching the process I felt more at ease. Knowing that I may have a few short term side effects didn’t bother me as I knew I could be saving a life.

Did you get to choose the method of donation?

Yes I did – Initially they asked for bone marrow, which I was happy to donate but after reviewing the recipient’s needs the patient team were more than happy to take my stem cells instead.

How did DKMS prepare you for the donation (appointments/medical injections etc?)

I had a medical a few weeks before which I attended at the London Clinic and then 4 lots of 4 injections, four days before the actual donation. The medical team also came out to me to do the injections – I was originally meant to be paintballing and so they were even prepared to come out to the venue, but it got cancelled so they came to me at home whilst I was watching the England World Cup game instead!

Where did you go to harvest your cells and how long did the process take?

I went to the London Clinic for my procedure – it took around 3hrs 50 minutes to collect the stem cells and I had to wait for around 30 minutes afterwards for them to check I had donated enough cells. They needed 5 million but managed to collect 23 million in that short time. I was told they would use what they needed and freeze the rest for anyone else who may need them.

Is it painful and did you experience any side effects?

I didn’t experience any pain as such; I just had the usual side effects that I’d prepared myself for, so I was slightly achy in the lower back and feeling a little groggy after the injections. The medical team told me I would feel better after the stem cell collection and they were right. The following day I was feeling 100% again!

Did you incur any costs?

DKMS covered my travel and hotel stay as I lived quite far from the clinic. I was also given the opportunity to use an optional food and drink voucher but I used my own money.

How did you feel mentally and physically after the donation procedure was over?

I actually felt really good physically almost straight away; any side effects you have are not serious and are only short term. I felt so positive that I had the opportunity to save a life and be able to raise awareness of being a donor and what the process involves – the worst part was being on camera!

How do you think we can encourage other people like you to register?

It’s really important to me to get across how easy it is to register and to donate. Just a few hours of my time could have potentially saved a life and that makes me feel great. For me it’s all about the awareness, if I can help inform people that life saving like this exists and show how simple the process is, then I know people would register in a heartbeat!

We would like to say a massive thank you to Stuart – the impact that he is going to have on his recipient life can’t be put into words. We would also like to thank you to DKMS, the medical team and the amazing staff on the day at The London Clinic.

Tagged under - September 3, 2018News & updates, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, Charity, Race Against Blood Cancer, saving lives, stem cell donorRace Against Blood Cancer

Race Against Blood Cancer finds another donor match!!!

July 8, 2018Donor Drive, News & updates, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, Charity, donor, donor drive, rabc, Race Against Blood Cancer, stem cell donorRace Against Blood Cancer

After all of the excitement over the England World Cup match yesterday, the team at Race Against Blood Cancer is even more excited to share our match news with you. One of our donor sign ups has been called to donate to a patient in need of a lifesaving transplant!

Meet Stuart Freeman, the guy who registered with us as a donor a few years ago and has now been called up to become a potential life saver. You can see from these photographs that the fantastic medical staff have been coming out to prepare him for his procedure – even whilst he was at work and sat watching the footy! ? ⚽️

Stuarts procedure will take place this Monday 9th July – watch out for live updates across our Facebook and Twitter channels to hear from the team and Stuart about his donation journey.

We wish Stuart the best of luck tomorrow and hope the process runs smoothly for him. We are also thinking about that special person who is about to receive this priceless gift – the impact Stuart will be having on this patients’ life is impossible to put into words! THANK YOU!

If you would like to become a real life superhero like Stuart, you can register here: www.raceagainstbloodcancer.com/join

Tagged under - July 8, 2018Donor Drive, News & updates, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, Charity, donor, donor drive, rabc, Race Against Blood Cancer, stem cell donorRace Against Blood Cancer

Many potential lifesaving donors signed up at Google offices

March 16, 2018Donor Drive, News & updates, Stem Cell DonationAlex Morrison, donor drive, Google, London, past event, rabc, Race Against Blood CancerRace Against Blood Cancer

Nearly 200 potential lifesaving donors signed up in just two donor drives at Google offices

Last week the Race Against Blood Cancer team popped into the Google offices in London to do another donor drive. After last year’s visit where we signed up over 100 donors, we were kindly invited back to capture any employees who may have been away. It was snowing and cold outside but the feeling inside was far from it as we managed to sign up an additional 65 potential lifesaving donors!

A massive thank you to Sam Smith who organised the event and all of those at Google who took the time to register. We would also like to show our appreciation to our community engagement manager Alex Morrison and volunteer Alex Kiffin who once again were on hand to sign up willing participants!

Alex and some new volunteer donors at Google — Alex Kiffin and some new volunteer donors at Google

Tagged under - March 16, 2018Donor Drive, News & updates, Stem Cell DonationAlex Morrison, donor drive, Google, London, past event, rabc, Race Against Blood CancerRace Against Blood Cancer

Transplant recipient makes ‘Trip Of A Lifetime’ to meet donor who saved her life

January 21, 2018Patient Story, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, patient story, stem cell donor, storyRace Against Blood Cancer

This inspirational article explains how difficult it was for a British woman to find a stem cell match after being diagnosed with AML back in 2012. Luckily a young man from Germany turned out to be a match and kindly donated his stem cells.

Read on to find out how she took a “trip of a lifetime” to meet the donor who saved her life.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/transplant-recipient-ashling-connell-makes-trip-of-a-lifetime-to-meet-german-donor-who-saved-her-life_uk_5a675e51e4b0dc592a0cfe89

Tagged under - January 21, 2018Patient Story, Stem Cell Donationblood cancer, patient story, stem cell donor, storyRace Against Blood Cancer