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 a significantly lower chance of finding a the best possible 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 MSPs to recruit more young men aged 16-30 and people from minority ethnic backgrounds to the stem cell register.
Read more about who makes up our stem cell register in Scotland in this briefing.
How does the campaign work?
Hosting a drop-in event in Holyrood, we invite MSPs to hear first-hand from one of our amazing stem cell donors and learn more about our award-winning Scottish & Fire Rescue Service (SFRS) and Anthony Nolan partnership.
Over 19,000 potential lifesavers have been recruited by the SFRS-Anthony Nolan partnership since its inception 14 years ago.
How can MSPs make a lifesaving difference?
MSPs can play a crucial part in giving people with blood cancer a second chance of life by supporting stem cell donor recruitment 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.
MSPs can get in touch to request a comms pack and advice to help get started.