Local university group, Queen’s University Belfast Marrow, is inviting the Belfast community to make the most of this month’s extra day by finding out how they could save a life.

The society are holding a special event on 29th February at the Student Union, Queen’s University Belfast from 11am to 5pm to help the public find out more about becoming a donor for a patient with blood cancer.

Marrow is an award-winning network of student volunteers who recruit potential blood stem cell donors to the Anthony Nolan register. Charity Anthony Nolan saves the lives of people with blood cancer by matching them to people willing to donate their blood stem cells for a lifesaving transplant. Men aged 18-30 are particularly encouraged to join the register as they the group most likely to be asked to donate.

The Marrow group will have student teams on the streets around the University to encourage people to pop into the Student Union and find out more. All Marrow members are students who donate their time and energy to help raise awareness of the work of Anthony Nolan and its donor register.

Mark McDowell, one of the co-ordinators for Belfast Marrow said, ““The need for donors is urgent. Anthony Nolan can only find matches for around half of those who need a transplant. We’re urging young men in particular to come along to find out more about the process - you could save the life of one of 1,600 people in the UK in need of a transplant. We’re encouraging everyone to think about how they’ll use their extra day this month to potentially make a lifesaving difference to someone with blood cancer.”

To join the register, you must be aged between 18 and 40, weigh over 8 stone (51 kg) and be in general good health. At the event, we ask for some medical information and a small saliva sample.

If, in the future, you are selected as a match for someone in need of a transplant, the donation process is much more straightforward than many people think – it’s similar to giving blood.

If you’re not able to attend on the day, you can find out more and register online at www.anthonynolan.org or by calling 0303 303 0303.

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For more information, please contact Lizzie D’Angelo on 020 7424 6619 / 07825 937 921 or email lizzie.dangelo@anthonynolan.org