Pass It On Leicester

What is #PassItOnLeicester?

The #PassItOnLeicester campaign, which will run throughout September to mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month, will see every corner of the Leicester and Leicestershire community uniting to save lives.

31 companies and community groups will team up with the Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign to host donor recruitment drives and awareness events, one on each day of the month, to pass on the vital and lifesaving message that it’s easy to donate your stem cells.

Rik's Story

In 2011, Rik Basra got some devastating news. The acute myeloid leukaemia he had beaten two years previously had returned. Chemotherapy had worked before, but not now, this time, he would need a bone marrow transplant.

There was even more bad news for Rik, a police inspector from Leicester.

Since he was Asian, he only had a 40% chance of finding a match; this is because there simply aren’t enough Asian people on the Anthony Nolan register.

Anthony Nolan couldn’t find a donor for Rik in the UK. But after a worldwide search, we eventually found one in Germany.

Rik had his transplant on Christmas Eve 2011, and has now recovered.

Since then, he’s set up the Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign to raise awareness about stem cell donation and recruit new donors to the Anthony Nolan register, year after year.

Pass It On Leicester is Rik’s most ambitious campaign yet.

Rik and Kas Basra with the #PassItOnLeicester flag

A Leicester lifesaver

Jack Grieves signed up to the Anthony Nolan register in 2013 at the Rik Basra Leukaemia campaign event at Regent College, Leicester. Jack went on to donate in May this year and gave a complete stranger the chance of life.

Now he’s supporting the Pass It On campaign as a Leicester lifesaver.

‘I would like to thank for the Basra’s for bringing stem cell donation to my attention, and letting me know how easy it is. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be on the register and wouldn’t have had the unique opportunity to save a stranger’s life.’

‘It’s such an easy, pain-free process; it was just like giving blood. In fact, the worst bit was the boredom!’

‘I would encourage all the young people in Leicester to go down to one of the events and sign up. All you have to do is fill out a form and spit in a tube – it takes five minutes. And who knows? You could save a life like I did.’

Where can I sign up?

Tuesday 1st Sept	8am to 5.30pm	Leicestershire Police
Wednesday 2nd Sept	8am to 5.30pm	BBC Radio Leicester
Thursday 3rd Sept	12pm to 3pm	Leicester Mercury
Friday 4th Sept	12pm to 3pm	George of Asda
Saturday 5th Sept	12.30pm to 4pm	Leicester Hockey Club
Sunday 6th Sept	11am to 5pm	Sabras Radio
Monday 7th Sept	9am to 5pm	East Midland Trains
Tuesday 8th Sept	1pm to 7pm	The Curve Theatre
Wed 9th Sept	12pm to 3pm	NHS Blood & Transplant
Thursday 10th Sept	11am to 3pm	Leicester City Council
Friday 11th Sept	12pm to 3pm	Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO)
Saturday 12th Sept	10am to 4pm	Leicester Cathedral
Sunday 13th Sept	11am to 4pm	East Midland Ambulance Service
Monday 14th Sept	10am to 6pm	Leicestershire County Cricket
Tuesday 15th Sept	10am to 5pm	Highcross Shopping Centre
Wednesday 16th Sept	11am to 4pm	Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service
Wednesday 16th Sept	4.30pm to 7.30pm	Leicester Progressive Synagogue
Thursday 17th Sept	8.30am to 2.30pm	Next
Friday 18th Sept	10am to 3pm	St Paul’s Catholic School
Saturday 19th Sept	9am to 4pm	Leicester Tigers
Sunday 20th Sept	10am to 3pm	GTB Gurdwara - Community Centre
Monday 21st Sept	8am to 2.30pm	Fosse Business Breakfast Club
Wednesday 23rd Sept	10am to 5pm	Girlguiding Leicestershire
Thursday 24th Sept	10am to 5pm	The University of Leicester
Friday 25th Sept	10.30 to 2.30pm	Beauchamp College
Saturday 26th Sept	2pm to 6pm	Leicester City Football Club: Leicester v Arsenal - 12.45pm
Saturday 26th Sept	4pm to 7.30pm	Leicester Riders - 7pm
Sunday 27th Sept	10am to 3pm	Leicester Royal Infirmary
Monday 28th Sept	10am to 2pm	Wyggeston Queen Elizabeth 1st College
Tuesday 29th Sept	10am to 2pm	Regent College
Wednesday 30th Sept	8am to 2.30pm	De Montfort University

For more information on the Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign:

RikBasra.com
 
Like Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign on Facebook
 
Follow Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign on Twitter

Find out more about what being a Leicester lifesaver involves at www.anthonynolan.org/register

Don’t forget to spread the word by using the hashtag #PassItOnLeicester