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The Anthony Nolan Trust

The Anthony Nolan Trust is a charity dedicated to saving the lives of people suffering from blood disorders such as Leukaemia.Ìý They manage the UK’s largest and most successful bone marrow register and are responsible for finding matches for all patients in need of bone marrow transplants.Ìý

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust agreed to host the clinic to help improve the lives of patients across the world as well as local patients who may well benefit from the increase in potential donors in the future.Ìý

The Trust is one of the UK’s leading centres for the diagnosis and treatment of haematological cancers such as leukaemia and carries out bone marrow and stem cell transplantation at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

Man donating bone marrow

Joining the register helps to save real lives

A bone marrow clinic was held at the Royal Hallamshire hosptial in 2008, when over 100 people came along to join the bone marrow register. The idea for the Sheffield clinic came from Thomas Carroll, a consultant neurosurgeon at the Sheffield Hospital whose own family circumstances spurred him into action.Ìý

Dr. Carroll says, “My three year old son was diagnosed with bone marrow failure earlier this year and is likely to need a bone marrow transplant in the near future.Ìý

"We will be depending on finding a bone marrow match from the Anthony Nolan Trust’s bone marrow register when the time does come for my son’s transplant.Ìý

"Unfortunately, we don't have a suitable donor yet".Ìý

Supporting the Anthony Nolan Trust and encouraging others to join the bone marrow donor register will help save the lives of the many children and adults who end up needing life saving bone marrow transplants.�

Each year around 80-100 people in Sheffield undergo a bone marrow transplant.Ìý One of these patients is Adrian Sudbury, a 26-year-old journalist from High Green.Ìý

He underwent a stem cell transplant earlier this year, which was provided by a donor from Europe through the Anthony Nolan Register.Ìý

He says, “I really can’t tell you how grateful I am to my donor, the Anthony Nolan Trust and staff at the hospitals for giving me another chance at life".

Julie Parker, who works for the Trust is one person who knows what it is like to help save a person’s life.Ìý She donated her bone marrow in 2001 and said that she would not hesitate to do it again if she could help someone else.

Ben Pacey from Doncaster

20 year old athlete, Ben Pacey from Doncaster is part of the British water Polo team and a future Olympic contender. He contracted Leukaemia at 18 and he says;

" I was lucky as it was only because I was so fit that I realised the the tiredness I was feeling was leukaemia". "I was at the Great Britain training camp at Millfield and felt that I didn't want to do it anymore and my mum and dad thoughtÌý this isn't like him and they got me to the doctors".

Ìý" I could not believe it at first but straight way they told me that I might have to have a bone marrow transplant and they checked my sisters for a match and they were not suitable. I eventually got the call and had the transplant following radiotherapy and chemotherapy. That donor saved my life and if I could meet him I'd say a big thank you ".

The main criteria for joining the Anthony Nolan register are:

• You must be aged 18-40, in good health,
• You must weigh more than eight stone (51kg), not severely overweight and willing to donate to any patient you may ever match.Ìý
• Once you have joined, you will remain on the register until your 60th birthday.

For more information, please click on the link below;