How do I know that you have received my donation?
Your donation is very important to us and we will write to thank you. We may also send you updates on our work if you have indicated that you are happy to receive these. You will know the deduction has started as it will appear on your payslip.
If I fill out a form today, how long will it be before the first deduction is taken from my pay?
Usually it will start on your next payroll day, but if you are signing up towards the end of the month deductions are likely to start the next but one payroll day.
How does Payroll Giving work?
It’s very easy. You complete the online form and this comes through to us. We make sure that your company operates a scheme that allows you to give to us straight from your pay and we notify your payroll department that you would like to set up a regular donation to us in this way.
If you can’t give to us through your pay, as your company does not operate the scheme (some still don’t!), then we will contact you to let you know.
Payroll Giving donations made online are processed by a company we work with called ‘Payroll Giving In Action’.
What happens to the person who receives my stem cells?
Your recipient will have undergone a lot of treatment to get them to the day of their stem cell transplant. Your cells will allow their body to grow a brand-new immune system that can help stop their blood cancer or blood disorder from coming back.
In effect, you’ll have gifted them a second chance at life. How amazing is that?!
Where can I find out more about PBSC and bone marrow donation?
You can read through the whole process in detail on our PBSC donor page and bone marrow donor page. Remember to come back to this page to sign up when you’re ready!
What are the chances that I'll be called up as a match?
We’ll only ask you to donate if you have a similar tissue type to someone in desperate need of a transplant. Most people on our register never donate.
Once you are on the register you have a 1 in 800 chance of being asked to donate in the next five years.
However, it is worth knowing that your chance of being chosen to donate depends on your age and sex. A young man aged 16–30 has a 1 in 200 chance of being chosen to donate in the next five years.
Why do you need to be willing to donate via both methods?
It’s ultimately up to a patient’s doctor to decide whether they need stem cells collected from the bloodstream or from the bone marrow. Their decision is based on what’s best for the patient.
If you came up as a match and then decided you didn’t want to go ahead, it could have serious consequences if the patient has already started their preparation treatment for a transplant. That’s why we ask you to be comfortable with both methods, and as fully committed to donating as possible when you sign up.
How can I check if I'm already on the Anthony Nolan stem cell register?
Simply send your name and date of birth to our team so they can check for you. Email register.support@anthonynolan.org.
If I've already joined a stem cell register, do I need to apply again?
No. You only need to be on one register as every time a patient needs a transplant, their hospital will contact Anthony Nolan and we will search all the potential donors in the UK and around the world to find a match.
Why do you need more people from minority ethnic backgrounds?
People from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to have unique tissue types (the particular collection of HLA genes used for matching patients and donors for transplant), and this means it can be harder to find fully matched unrelated donors for them.
So the more potential lifesavers from minority ethnic backgrounds there are on the stem cell register, the better the chances patients from minority ethnic backgrounds have of finding their lifesaving match.
Ready to make a difference? Join today