Drive to recruit stem cell donors

A woman is on a mission to sign up 100 blood stem cell donors by the start of June.

Claire Craig’s brother- inlaw, Jamie, had his life saved after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer leukaemia, thanks to a stem cell transplant from a female donor in Germany.

Now Claire is holding a stem cell registration sign-up day in the Salvation Army hall at Howden from 11am to 6pm on Thursday, June 1.

She’s hoping that as many people as possible will book up for the available 10-minute slots.

Aged 31, Jamie was only given an 18 per cent chance of survival unless a stem cell donor was found. None of his siblings proved a match. Now he’s celebrating more than two years of remission.

Anyone aged between 17 and 55, and in good health, can sign up to the blood stem cell register.

All that’s needed is a simple, painless swab of the inside of both cheeks, along with some basic contact details. The process takes less than 10 minutes, but, as in the case of Jamie, can save a life. Anyone interested in registering should phone Claire on 07826 516 504.