Nearly 300 colleagues join stem cell donor register in biggest recruitment drive by NHS Trust
Kind-hearted colleagues from across UHDB have shown their support for a stem cell recruitment drive, which saw 298 colleagues join the DKMS stem cell register, potentially saving lives in what is believed to be the biggest drive ever held by an NHS Trust in the UK.
The five-day recruitment drive was inspired by the young relative of a nurse at UHDB, who was told he needed a bone marrow transplant when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the age of 14.
Daniel Greer's family were told stem cell donation was his only chance of prolonging his life and his cousin Maggie Fearon, a Breast Care Nurse at UHDB, first called upon her fellow workforce to help in 2023. The response was overwhelming with 241 colleagues originally signing up to the DKMS stem cell register and Daniel later found a match.
Now a year on, staff once again offered to run another recruitment drive and pledged to attend 10 hospital sites in the hope of getting as many signups as possible.
The recruitment drive, which took place from Monday 11 March to Friday 15 March, was a success with 298 colleagues showing their support and joining the register. Over the course of the event, 264 people registered and were swabbed and a further 34 people requested swab kits online.
Maggie, who sparked the drive, praised the kindness of those who supported the recruitment drive and said their actions will give families waiting for a suitable donor 'hope.'
She said: "I want to say a huge thank you to the wonderful volunteers who made the event possible, and to the kindness of staff who gave seven minutes out of their busy days to join the stem cell donor register. The ‘roving’ teams of volunteers reached staff in so many areas and offices which adding to the successful sign up, and we raised awareness at all 10 sites.
"It's been a fantastic achievement and we hope to see the online sign ups increasing so we can continue to help others like Daniel have a second chance at life."
The bone marrow donation drive was co-ordinated by Duncan Cameron, General Manager of the Cancer Business Unit at UHDB.
Duncan said: "It was amazing to see the response from our staff to the bone marrow register drive last year and how everyone has got behind the Do it for Daniel Campaign. It's remarkable to know that someone from our recruitment drive last year has gone on to donate their blood stem cells for someone in need of a transplant.
"Daniel is a truly inspirational young person and his courage has inspired us to go even further this year. I've been totally blown away by the enthusiasm from staff across UHDB and the other health providers locally to get behind the cause and I hope that we can find some more potentially life-saving donors thanks to everyone's efforts last week."
Since undergoing his transplant Daniel has experienced other health complications which required a second stem cell transplant, and he is now awaiting test results to determine next steps. However, his family said it is the support of compassionate and caring people, including the UHDB staff, who have continued to give Daniel hope.
Daniel's mum Anne said: "We will always be grateful to the kind strangers who supported the 'Do it for Daniel' campaign last year and to know that UHDB has done another donation drive to help more families like ours is incredible.
"It really does make such a difference. You could be the only person who can save another person’s life. That person and their family will be waiting and praying for a matching donor”.
Colleagues volunteered their time to hold recruitment drives at sites including Royal Derby Hospital, Queen's Hospital Burton, Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital, Florence Nightingale Community Hospital and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital.
Colleagues were also on hand at community sites including Heanor Memorial Health Centre, St Oswalds Hospital, Long Eaton Health Centre, Ilkeston Community Hospital and Ripley Hospital, to encourage staff to join the register.
Although the recruitment drive was aimed at staff, members of the public reading this can also take part if they wish, by registering online quickly and easily on the DKMS website.
The process is simple, as Sophia Oriolowo, from DKMS, explains: “Joining the stem cell register is a simple process involving a quick mouth swab. These swabs are only used for the purpose of testing to see if you are match – they are not shared with any third parties. And if you are found to be a match for someone, then in nine out of ten cases, donating your stem cells is a simple process similar to giving blood. You could be giving someone a second chance at life.”
This is how you can help:
You are eligible to join the DKMS register if you are:
- aged between 17 and 55
- in general good health
- have a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 40
- not already registered on another bone marrow registry - you only need to be on one:
- Anthony Nolan
- British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR)
- Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (WBMDR)
- A UK resident at a permanent address for two years minimum
- haven’t recently requested a swab online from DKMS.
You can find out more or join the register by visiting the DKMS website here >