Stockport cheek swab drive could save lives
People working in Stockport town centre are being urged to sign up for a charity drive we’re helping to organise which could save the lives of patients with blood cancer and blood-related disorders.
DKMS UK will be collecting cheek swabs on Monday, July 21 from staff at companies based in Stockport Exchange.
Organisers say a three-minute cheek swab could be a lifesaver for those in need of a stem cell transplant.
Blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK. DKMS says that someone in the UK is diagnosed every 14 minutes with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
The charity recruits stem cell donors, as a transplant is the best and sometimes only hope for many patients.
More than 2,000 people each year in the UK need one, but 40 cent of people requiring a match are unable to find one.
Just seven per cent of the eligible population are registered as potential donors. The chance of being a match is one in 800.
The swab drive will take place between 9.15am and 3pm at 1, 2 and 3 Stockport Exchange. Among the firms taking part will be HURST, musicMagpie, Indurent and CBRE.
Emily Efstathiou, our event and content marketing executive and our charity ambassador, is organising the event.
She said: “More donors equals more hope for patients with blood cancer, and we hope people working in the area will support our potentially lifesaving drive.
“It only takes a few minutes to provide a cheek swab, and it could prove life-changing for someone in need of a stem cell transplant.”
Emily, whose maternal grandmother died from leukaemia, added: “As a firm, we are committed to making a tangible positive difference and, in conjunction with other businesses based at Stockport Exchange, we hope people will rally round to support the initiative.”
Louise Clague, donor recruitment manager at DKMS, said: “It’s fantastic to see so much support from such a wide range of businesses. Our partners are so important to the DKMS mission.
“By offering us their time and their spaces, our supporters help us to get more people on to the stem cell donor register. Everyone who signs up as a potential donor could give hope to one of the thousands of people relying on the stem cell register for a second chance at life.
“Only one in three patients will find a donor match in their family, but just seven per cent of the UK’s eligible population are signed up as donors.
“That’s why we are so grateful for the support of HURST and the rest of the Stockport Exchange companies for their help towards registering more potential lifesavers.”
Asia Sharif, 28, a Manchester-based, award-winning software engineer whose blood cancer is now in remission, has given her backing for the drive and is urging potential donors to join the stem cell register.
She had chemotherapy after being diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin Lymphoma and, after seeking a donor for a year, received a transplant at The Christie in Manchester with some of her own stem cells, a difficult procedure which has so far been successful.
However, if she relapses she will urgently need a donor.
Asia is half-Somalian and half-Moroccan, which has made it more difficult for her to find a donor, as only a tiny number of those on the register are from minority ethnic communities.
She said: “For many blood cancer patients, finding a compatible stem cell donor can mean the difference between life and death, and I would encourage everybody from different walks of life and backgrounds to join the register.
“I am lucky that I did go into remission and got my own stem cells. However, knowing that there could be a potential match out there is what gives patients hope that they will have time and a future, to live and make memories.”
For more information on the charity, visit www.dkms.org.uk