- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service partnership with Anthony Nolan has recruited more than 23,000 potential stem cell donors
A blood cancer diagnosis that forced a senior firefighter to confront his own mortality has led to a hugely successful life-saving charity partnership across Scotland, helping recruit more than 23,000 potential stem cell donors in the country.
Alastair (Ally) Boyle MBE, former Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Area Commander and current Chair of Public Health Scotland, founded the partnership with stem cell charity Anthony Nolan after being diagnosed with myelodysplasia (MDS), a form of blood cancer, in 2008.
At the time, Ally was told that his best chance of long-term survival would be a stem cell transplant. Like around two thirds of patients, he did not have a suitable donor match within his family and realised the vital importance of growing the stem cell donor register.
Using his diagnosis for good, Ally recognised a shared purpose between the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Anthony Nolan: saving and improving lives.
What began as an ambition to recruit 1,200 potential donors has since become a nationwide movement involving firefighters, schools and communities across Scotland. Poignantly, the original target was set to be achieved over three years because that was what Ally was told his life expectancy was likely to be.
Today, with Ally still heavily involved, the partnership has recruited more than 23,000 potential stem cell donors, with more than 130 people going on to donate their stem cells for patients in need of life-saving transplants.
Ally Boyle said: “When I was diagnosed, I quickly learned that a stem cell transplant could one day be my only chance of survival. What struck me was that someone I would never meet could ultimately save my life.
“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has always been about helping people. When I realised we could use that same spirit of public service to help patients also in need of a transplant, the partnership felt like a natural fit.
“The real achievement isn’t the numbers. It’s the patients who have received a second chance at life because a young person in Scotland decided to put themselves on the register and say yes to helping a stranger.”
For more than 15 years, SFRS volunteers have visited schools and communities across Scotland, educating young people about blood cancer, stem cell transplantation and the importance of donation.
The partnership has been hugely successful in driving up the number of potential stem cell donors while empowering young people to make a tangible difference.
Charlotte Cunliffe, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, said: “Through the selfless foundations Ally Boyle MBE built between Anthony Nolan and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service the partnership has flourished over the years, making a lifesaving difference to so many people.
“Scotland has a proud history of supporting stem cell donation, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been a valued partner in helping us reach new audiences and inspire more people to join the stem cell register.
“Through its trusted role in communities across the country, SFRS has shown how organisations can mobilise people around a shared purpose. By working together, public services, charities and communities can help ensure more patients have the chance to find the life-saving match they desperately need.”
The partnership will be celebrated at a roundtable event in Glasgow on June 17, bringing together representatives from healthcare, business, charities and public services to discuss how Scotland can continue building a younger, stronger and more diverse stem cell donor register. Anthony Nolan is actively seeking more partners to further its mission – if you’re an organisation or individual who can help, contact them to discuss next steps.
The event is generously hosted by long-time partner RSM. RSM have partnered with Anthony Nolan for over 15 years and have donated nearly £2.5 million in that time, funding nearly 11,000 stem cell courier trips and 4,000 patient grants. On top of that, nearly 200 RSM colleagues have joined the stem cell register as potential lifesavers.
ENDS
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Out of hours, contact the duty press officer on 07881 265 285.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Ally Boyle was diagnosed with myelodysplasia (MDS) in 2008 and established the SFRS-Anthony Nolan partnership in 2009.
- The partnership has recruited more than 23,000 potential stem cell donors across Scotland.
- More than 130 people recruited through the partnership have gone on to donate their stem cells for patients requiring life-saving transplants.
- Young donors aged 16–30 are particularly important because younger donors are more likely to be selected for stem cell donation.
- Ally Boyle is Chair of Public Health Scotland and was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to charity.
- To join the Anthony Nolan register, you must be 16-30. Anthony Nolan’s world-leading Research Institute has helped prove younger donors offer better survival rates for patients.
- Since it was founded by Shirley Nolan in 1974, Anthony Nolan has facilitated over 28,400 transplants for people around the world.
- The charity facilitates around 1,200 stem cell transplants from an unrelated donor every year for patients in the UK and more than 300 for patients abroad. For many, a transplant is their last chance of survival.
- Around 90% of donors donate through PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell collection). This is a simple, outpatient procedure. Donors are supported throughout the process by the Anthony Nolan team.
- Currently 15% of the UK Anthony Nolan stem cell register is made up of young men, but they account for more than half of people called upon to donate.
About Anthony Nolan
Anthony Nolan is a UK stem cell transplant charity with 50 years of expertise in uniting science and people to push the boundaries of what can be achieved for blood cancer and blood disorder patients.
Its world-leading stem cell register matches potential donors to patients in need of transplants. It carries out cell and gene therapy research to increase transplant success and supports patients through their transplant journeys. Anthony Nolan helps four people in need of a transplant a day, giving more people a second chance at life. But the charity won’t stop until all patients have access to the treatment they need, so many more survive.
Stem cells hold enormous potential and have the power to help people with blood cancers and blood disorders. This potential inspires everything Anthony Nolan does. Driven by patients, backed by stem cell donors, and powered by science, the charity won’t stop until the lifesaving potential of the cells inside us all has been uncovered. Join Anthony Nolan’s register or support its research.
Together, with your help, Anthony Nolan can unlock the answers inside us anthonynolan.org