Communities vs Blood Cancer is our annual campaign to raise awareness of Anthony Nolan and its work among politicians in Parliament. The campaign highlights the need to recruit more incredible stem cell donors.
Why Communities vs Blood Cancer?
Every year in the UK, around 2,000 blood cancer patients need a stem cell donor to save their life – but too often a donor isn’t available or can’t be found quickly enough.
Young male donors are much more likely to be selected by transplant centres, and Anthony Nolan’s research has shown that the younger the donor, the better the patient’s chance of survival.
People from minority ethnic backgrounds currently have significantly less chance of finding a lifesaving stem cell match from an unrelated donor which is why we have an ambitious target for at least 20% of new people joining the register to be from a minority ethnic background.
That’s why we need help from MPs and MSPs to recruit more young men aged 16-30 and people from minority ethnic backgrounds to the UK stem cell registry.
Read more about who makes up our register in this briefing.
How does the campaign work?
Communities vs Blood Cancer takes place during Blood Cancer Awareness Month every September. Hosting a drop-in event in Westminster and Holyrood, we invite MPs and MSPs to hear first-hand from someone who received a life-saving stem cell transplant and from one of our amazing stem cell donors.
This year we are giving politicians the opportunity to experience what it is like to sign up to the stem cell register and find out their tissue type from a simple cheek swab.
How can MPs and MSPs make a lifesaving difference?
MPs and MSPs can play a crucial part in giving people with blood cancer a second chance of life by hosting a stem cell donor recruitment event in their constituency.
They can also show their support on social media and in the press, as well as advocate for blood cancer and stem cell transplant patients in Parliament.
MPs and MSPs can get in touch to request a personalised toolkit and comms pack to help get started.