Charlotte signs up to Anthony Nolan register for ‘1 in 9 million’ boy
Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby has become the latest person to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register after hearing about the plight of a ‘1 in 9 million’ baby boy.
Charlotte, who tweeted a selfie with her Anthony Nolan spit kit, was inspired to sign up after reading about Joey Ziadi, a 9 month old boy suffering from an incredibly rare blood disorder Diamond Blackfan Anaemia. Joey is in need of a lifesaving transplant but has not yet found a matching donor.
Got my spit kit & ready 2 sign up 4 the @AnthonyNolan register help find a lifesaving donor for @JoeyZiadi #BeTheCure pic.twitter.com/MeSqPezR4D
— Charlotte Crosby (@Charlottegshore) June 17, 2014
How joining the register works
Joining the register simply involves spitting into a tube and posting it back to the charity. If Charlotte is found to be a match, she could one day be called upon to donate her bone marrow, or stem cells, to little Joey or another stranger in need of a life-saving transplant.
She explained:
“I saw the gorgeous Joey Ziadi in the news and I couldn’t believe it when I heard how ill he was and that only 1 in 9 million people have his condition – I felt like crying. I knew I had to do something, but I didn’t know how to help.”
“When I found out how simple it was to sign up to the Anthony Nolan register, I didn’t have to think about it. I just thought – ‘It’s so easy, why doesn’t everyone do this?’
“I was quite shocked that young lads are so underrepresented on the register though. Come on lads, just sign up online and spit into a tube! I’m doing it, and I just hope one day I have the chance to save a life.”
Anthony Nolan and Joey Ziadi
At Anthony Nolan, we save lives by matching selfless people willing to donate their bone marrow (or blood stem cells) to patients in desperate need of a transplant.
Nine month old Joey Ziadi from Northampton was diagnosed with an extremely rare blood disorder Diamond Blackfan Anaemia in February this year. Joey’s family, labelled the ‘1 in 9 million’ boy due to his rare condition, have been campaigning to recruit more potential donors to our register after being told that his best hope of a cure is a bone marrow transplant from a stranger.
The 'Joey effect'
Charlotte’s selfless act is the latest development in what Anthony Nolan has called the ‘Joey effect’. As a result of local exposure to Joey’s story in recent weeks, the Anthony Nolan website experienced a huge spike in visitors and registrations from the Northampton area. The family also held a donor recruitment event in Northampton where over 550 people signed up to the register.
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, said: “It’s fantastic that Charlotte has done something so selfless and signed up to help little Joey and others like him. We hope that Charlotte will inspire more young people to be the cure for blood cancer, either by joining the register or raising vital funds.”
How you can help
People aged 16 to 30 in good health can join the bone marrow register, and we particularly need young men and people from ethnic minority communities to sign up.
There are also many other ways to save a life by supporting Anthony Nolan, such as raising funds or volunteering. Find out how you can help here.