Anthony Nolan Grants can financially support patients before, during, and after a stem cell transplant. We offer small one-off grants to help with any unexpected costs you may have.

For most healthy people, your immune system will control the virus - most people do not realise they have it. People with a weakened immune system or women who are pregnant should speak to their doctor if they have flu like symptoms.

You can find out more about CMV on the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/conditions/cytomegalovirus-cmv/

There are two ways you might be asked to donate: 90% of people donate via their bloodstream and 10% have their stem cells collected via their bone marrow while under general anaesthetic. Watch our donation animation to find out more:

This isn’t a medical test, so we won’t routinely update you on your updated CMV status. This information is for doctors to help choose the best possible match for a patient.

When we receive your completed swabs back in our labs, the swabs are popped into a solution that picks up any CMV indicators off the swab.

These indicators are then loaded into a machine with specific proteins, and a colour change will show the result which is then double checked by a scientist and uploaded onto your record.

You’ve been specially selected to update your CMV status because right now, more donors with tissue types like yours are needed for patients.

In our recent report into the impact of CMV, patients told us how much a ‘CMV reactivation’, where they received a donation from someone without the same CMV status, impacted their recovery:

‘I think you want to put all your effort into getting better after the transplant, so it [CMV reactivation] felt like a massive backwards step and I was very concerned that I didn’t have much of an immune system, and it was trying to fight this virus…this knocked me for six.’

If you or someone you know has received a stem cell transplant and experienced CMV reactivation please don’t hesitate to contact our Patient Services on 0303 303 0303.

A stem cell transplant patient will have a very weak immune system, so finding a donor with a matching CMV status can prevent life-threatening complications. Our research shows that finding a stem cell donor with a matching CMV status can make their transplant three times more likely to work.

CMV, or cytomegalovirus, is a tricky to pronounce but very common virus. 50-60% of the UK population have it, but most healthy people never realise as their immune system keeps on top of it.

Fantastic! Please email our Register Development team on registerdevelopment@anthonynolan.org and we’ll be in touch to discuss the details with you.