A stem cell transplant can cure or improve the outcome for someone with blood cancer or blood disorder. In short, it can save their life.

When a person has a blood cancer or blood disorder, their blood cells have stopped working in their normal way. That means they can’t do vital things like fight infection or carry oxygen.

A transplant of blood stem cells from a healthy person can replace and repair these damaged cells – and hopefully cure their disease.

Blood stem cells are new, primitive blood cells made in the bone marrow, found in the centre of our large bones.

• You can find out more about how transplants work in The Science Behind Our Work section