Great support for the Anthony Nolan Trust last night
Young People in Mayobridge Register with Anthony Nolan Trust to Help Save a Life.
Big Thankyou to young people who came along on Tuesday evening 30th October to Mayobridge GAC to register and give their support to the Anthony Nolan Trust which has been set up to find stem cell matches for people with blood cancers. Thank you to staff and volunteers from Belfast Marrow who facilitated the event.
I became aware of the Trust and the need to recruit young people 16 to 30 years old on the register when I read about a young woman from Belfast Eimear Smyth who had a rare blood cancer that would not respond to other treatments and she required a stem cell match to have a chance at life. As I was following Eimear’s Search on social media I realised that I knew Eimear’s dad and I wanted to do something, but I am long past 16 to 30 years old. I noticed that many GAA clubs were getting involved in supporting the search, so I approached Mayobridge GAC and requested hosting a Stem Cell Event.
On Tuesday 30th October over 40 young people responded to the call. This included members of Mayobridge and Leitrim Under 21 teams who had just played a championship game. The procedure was quite painless – you are asked to complete a registration form and give a saliva swab from your cheek. You go on the register and remain on it until you are 60 years old. If by any chance you are a match for someone like Eimear, then you will be contacted and asked to donate stem cells. The stem cell donation involves giving blood and having the stem cells extracted and the blood returned to your body. It is a clinical procedure and you will not need to be hospitalised. This is the case for 90% of match donors. For 10% there will be a bone marrow extraction which involves an anaesthetic and overnight hospital stay.
Thank you again for taking the time to register and to follow Eimear’s Search – by the way (btw) she has found a donor and is currently undergoing treatment in St. James Hospital, Dublin – visit her Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Eimears-Search-216755005820277/. To find out how to register – visit Anthony Nolan Trust website https://www.anthonynolan.org/
