A social media craze has seen hundreds of people pledge to save the life of an eight year old girl who needs a bone marrow transplant
The ‘Help Hollie’ appeal has led to a 2,580 per cent increase in the number of people in Wales joining our register - but more are still urgently needed.
Celebrity support for Hollie's campaign
International rugby players are among the celebrities who have joined the battle to help save the life of Hollie Clark – by posting selfies with their pants on their heads.
Celebrities including Wales rugby captain Sam Warburton, comedian Russell Howard and Olympic gold medallist, Geraint Thomas shared their #pantsonyourhead pictures in a bid to help find a bone marrow donor for Hollie.
Hollie, from Cardiff, has a rare bone marrow syndrome called Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and is still in desperate need of a bone marrow donor.
Her parents, Laura and Stephen, launched the #pantsonyourhead campaign to encourage people to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.
A 2,000% incrase in Welsh registrations
Since they launched the campaign on June 12, Anthony Nolan has seen a 2,580 per cent increase in the number of people joining the register in Wales, when compared to the same time period last year.
Hollie with her uncle Matthew
In Cardiff, there has been a 2,600 per cent increase in people joining the register and, in the UK as a whole, the figure is 170 per cent, which we believe may be due to the ‘Hollie effect’.
Karen Archer, Regional Register Development Manager at Anthony Nolan said: “The ‘pants on your head selfie’ idea has really taken off and is making a big difference in terms of the numbers joining the register. It’s a great idea that’s so personal to team Help Hollie whilst being a fun, interactive way of showing your support for our lifesaving work. It’s wonderful that such a simple concept could help save lives by raising awareness of the Anthony Nolan register.
“The support of sportspeople like Sam Warburton is particularly invaluable in helping us reach young men, which is really important as they are most likely to be chosen to donate but only represent 14% of the register.”
Hollie with her parents and brother
Hollie was diagnosed with MDS – a blood disorder which causes a drop in the number of healthy blood cells in the body - in April this year after developing unusual bruising.
Her mother took her to their doctor who ran tests and sent Hollie straight to hospital, where she was diagnosed.
“It was an absolute shock, it is literally the worst thing as a parent you could be told,” said Mrs Clark, a GP. “It was hard to believe because she’d been so active at the time - she loves swimming and cycling and playing with her friends, and she’d been doing all these things without us even knowing that her haemoglobin levels were dangerously low.”
The @HelpHollie #pantsonyourhead campaign has already taken off on Twitter and Facebook.
Welsh rugby player Sam Warburton kick-started the campaign when he tweeted a picture of himself with pants on his, and his dog Ledley’s, heads.
Athlete Jamie Baulch and sports commentator Jonathan Davies have also joined in and posted their own pant-wearing selfies.
As have actress Kimberly Nixon, comedian Russell Howard, and presenter Gethin Jones.
Mrs Clark said: “We can’t believe how much support we have already had for this campaign.
“Obviously we’re desperate to find a donor for Hollie but this is not just for her, we realise the impact this can have for other families in the same situation. Even one extra donor signing up could transform someone’s life.”
How you can help
The family are now urging 16–30 year olds to come and register with Anthony Nolan on-the-spot at a public recruitment event at the Millennium Centre. Joining the register just involves filling in an online form and spitting into a tube.
The event details are:
Sunday 6th July 2014, 11 - 4pm
Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Pl, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5AL
To sign up online, click on the button below to fill out a short form.
You can also donate money on the Help Hollie Just Giving page here.