Diverse marrow donors needed
Appeal to minorities to join life-saving register
A cancer survivor is urging members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic community in Slough to sign up to the British Bone Marrow Registry to help save lives.
Shlipa Sehdev was diagnosed with acute Leukaemia aged 19 while studying at university – a moment which she described as ‘forever altering’ the course of her life.
Shilpa underwent regular blood transfusions and after 18 months of treatment she entered remission.
But her gruelling treatment programme left her with sluggish bone marrow which results in her body producing blood cells at a slower rate than normal.
The production of white blood cells is particularly important in helping the body fight infections.
The 29-year-old is now using her role on Slough’s NHS Blood and Transplant Team to raise awareness of the importance of people from minority ethnic communities joining the British Bone Marrow Registry.
Patients from minority ethnic backgrounds often face difficulty finding suitable matches for bone marrow transplants due to the genetic diversity within these populations.
Increasing the diversity of the donor pool increases the chances of finding compatible matches.
Shilpa told the Express: “At the Slough Blood and Transplant team we do a lot of sessions in Maidenhead, Windsor and Slough.
“We’ve noticed there’s not a huge amount of people from ethnic minorities who are willing to sign up for the bone marrow register.
“That’s something we’re really looking to ramp up. It’s quite disappointing knowing we’re in such a multicultural area and we don’t have that diversity.
“A patient may not have any siblings that could be an ideal match. Having people on that register can open the window of having so many more chances of treatment.”
Shilpa told the Express the Blood and Transplant team are keen to raise awareness that bone marrow donations are a lot easier to administer than they were 20 years ago.
She added: “It’s a very minimally invasive procedure but the benefits to the recipient are just phenomenal. That diversity of the ethnic minority donors is highly needed.”
Slough’s NHS Blood and Transplant team can carry out blood and bone marrow donations across the community.
Visit www.bbmr.co.uk for details on signing up to the British Bone Marrow Registry.
Shilpa is planning to complete a sky dive on her 30th birthday to raise money to support the work of Leukaemia UK.
She told the Express: “Much like facing the challenges of Leukaemia, skydiving requires courage, resilience and a leap of faith.
“It's a symbolic way of embracing life's uncertainties while supporting those who are battling Leukaemia.
“By sponsoring my skydive, you're not just supporting me on my birthday, you're helping make a difference in the lives of countless others.”
To support Shilpa visit http://tinyurl.com/5n9yz597