We are delighted to announce that a bone marrow match has been found for Sharon Berger.
Sharon’s son, Jonni says, ‘Earlier in the year we were told that a bone marrow donor was mum’s last chance at survival and that no one on the worldwide registers was a match for her. This was devastating news, but we knew that we couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. We launched our ‘Spit4Mum’ campaign to recruit more donors to the bone marrow registers, particularly targeting the Jewish community given our background and have had an amazing response from both the Jewish community and wider world.’
The Bergers’ campaign had a huge impact on the number of people joining the bone marrow register. The campaign has so far attracted 1,191 Jewish people to join Anthony Nolan’s donor register, compared to 107 in the same period in 2012.
Jonni says, ‘Amazingly, our campaign has been successful and a match has now been found for our mum. We expect her bone marrow transplant to go ahead in the next two weeks. Whilst this is great news, bone marrow transplants are not without risk. There is still a long road ahead but we know that by finding a match, we have given our mum the best chance possible.
‘We are so grateful for every single person who has joined the register as a result of our campaign and all those who have helped in other ways. There are still people who are waiting for a match and we want more people who have been inspired by our story to join the bone marrow register.’
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, says, ‘We are absolutely delighted that Sharon has found a suitable bone marrow donor and we wish her all the best with her transplant. The ‘spit4mum’ campaign has attracted a record number of Jewish people to join Anthony Nolan’s bone marrow register. This will help us to find suitable donors for more blood cancer patients in the future. This is one of the biggest patient appeals we have had and will have a huge impact on the register in terms of the number of potential Jewish donors.’
‘People from unusual ethnic backgrounds, like Sharon, have just a 40% chance at finding a suitable donor. We are urging all 16–30 year olds in good health to join the bone marrow register and help give more people like Sharon the chance at finding a suitable donor and the best chance at a future.’
If you are aged 16–30 and in good health, you can join the register.