Each country has different rules around patient updates, and not all countries provide updates.

During the follow-up phone call 2-3 days after your donation, the Donor Follow Up team will let you know if an update may be possible. If it is possible, and you would like one, we aim to send you an update at around 1 year post-donation. 

• We cannot guarantee an update, and there may be delays to getting one.  

• Many countries can only provide 1 update. If you request any further updates, we can try to find out some further news, but we cannot guarantee that any additional updates will be provided.

If you have any questions, please contact the Donor Follow Up team on 020 7284 8249 or at donor@anthonynolan.org

We may be able to get an update on your recipient at around 1 year post-donation.

We cannot guarantee an update as we do not always receive them. This could be for a number of reasons, such as your recipient not agreeing to share their data, or their hospital not uploading the information to the patient update database, but if you have told us you would like an update, we will do our best to get one for you.  

The Donor Follow Up team will be in touch to let you know if we do receive an update.

Important Notice Regarding UK Patient Updates

We regret to inform you that we are currently unable to provide progress updates for UK patients. We completely understand how disappointing this is and truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

We are hopeful this is only a temporary situation. Once the necessary database updates and legislative issues are resolved, we look forward to resuming updates and applications as normal.

In the meantime, you are welcome to send anonymous correspondence to your recipient if you wish. If you would like to do so, please email your message along with your donor number to donor@anthonynolan.org, and we will forward it on your behalf.

These rules are set by the NHSBT, so please do speak to them before donating blood.

You can give blood 3 months after a lymphocyte donation, 6 months after a stem cell donation, and 12 months after a bone marrow donation.

Out of over 600 Anthony Nolan donors a year, on average four or five of these individuals go on to donate to a second person. We won’t ask you to donate to more than two people.

You will be kept in reserve for your current recipient for 2 years after your donation. After those 2 years, we'll pop you back on the general register so you could potentially donate to another patient.

Some health conditions may affect whether you can remain on the register, and some conditions could also impact your recipient, so it's important you keep in touch with us and let us know of any changes to your health in the future.

If you have any questions, please contact the Donor Follow Up team on 020 7284 8249 or at donor@anthonynolan.org

This depends on whether the donation was due to be ‘fresh’ or ‘cryopreserved’: 

• If it was a fresh donation, your recipient will receive the transplant of your donated cells within 72 hours of your donation – it’s all very quick!
• If you were told that your donated cells were due to be cryopreserved (frozen), one of the Donor Follow Up team will be in touch in a few weeks to let you know the outcome of your donation.
  • In some very rare cases the recipient may become too unwell for transplant and your stem cell donation may not be used. If this happens, we will be in touch and you will be supported by our team as we understand this can be upsetting news to receive.  

You may be asked to donate again if your recipient needs a top up or another stem cell transplant: 

• In about 5% of cases, a second stem cell donation is needed, and this is usually within a year of the first donation.

• In about 15% of cases, a top-up of white blood cells (lymphocytes) may be requested after your first donation. Lymphocyte donation could happen as part of the original treatment plan or where a recipient’s disease returns, and their body needs an extra boost. 

If you would like to talk to one of the team about this or if you have changed your mind about donating again, contact the Donor Follow Up Team on 020 7424 6568 or donor@anthonynolan.org

No. Your privacy is very important to us. The chatbot doesn’t share personal data. It’s designed to help answer general queries while keeping your information safe and secure. Please read our privacy policy for more information.

Your feedback is really valuable and helps us improve our service. If you would like to share your thoughts or suggestions, you can email Register Support at: Register.Support@anthonynolan.org

No, the chat bot will not give you updates on your register application. If you would like an update on your application to join the register, please contact the Register Support Team by sending an email to  Register.Support@anthonynolan.org or call 020 7424 6567.