I'm from Canada and was dying from cancer but was saved by a man from the North West

Data from blood cancer charity DKMS has revealed that “2.6% of 16-65’s in the North West are registered as potential stem cell donors with DKMS – slightly higher than the UK average of 2.4%”

DKMS is calling on people across the North West to take action, and help to give people with blood cancer a second chance at life by joining the stem cell donor register.

For many patients, a stem cell transplant from a matching donor is their best or only chance of survival. Every 14 minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer and there needs to be more UK donors registered.

DKMS spokesperson Deborah Hyde, said: “When a patient needs a stem cell transplant, only one in three will find a donor in their immediate family. This means that two thirds of patients will need to find a stranger who is a compatible stem cell match, and who can offer them a second chance at life. Joining the register means that you could offer that lifeline for someone in their time of greatest need. Most people will never be called to donate, but if you are, you have the potential to save someone’s life”.

One person who was called to donate was Lee Taylor, a father of three from Blackpool. He had forgotten he’d joined the stem cell register when he received a call from DKMS in 2022.

He had been identified as a perfect match for a critically ill patient who was in desperate need of a stem cell transplant. He agreed to donate his stem cells to this total stranger, giving them a second chance at life.

After a stem cell transplant, there are initially strict anonymity rules for donors and patients. But after two years, Lee received a message from his recipient - 53 year old Jennifer Breckenridge from Canada.

Jennifer she had been given just weeks to live before Lee’s stem cells.

Lee said: “It’s amazing to think that half way across the world, a total stranger was just weeks away from dying, and that I was the person she needed to help save her life. If I had never done that cheek swab to join the register, I would never have known that I could help her. She’s doing so well now, she’s been given more time with her loved ones, and has even been able to travel to Europe for the first time in her life. I feel very privileged to have played my part in that.”

Jennifer’s trip to Europe to celebrate her recovery began last month, and her first stop was the UK – so that she could thank Lee in person. They now speak on the phone everyday.

Lee and Jennifer are marking World Blood Cancer Day with DKMS by encouraging everyone aged 17–55 and in good general health to order a free swab kit via their website (dkms.org.uk), complete a simple cheek swab, and return it to be added to the register.

Things you didn’t know about blood cancer:

1. Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
2. Every year, nearly 13,000 people die from blood cancer in the UK.
3. At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant.
4. Of those registered, only 16 % are from UK minority ethnic backgrounds. This makes it more difficult for patients from these backgrounds to find a match