Blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan is saying thank you to students from Leeds Marrow, who recruited a remarkable 1257 students to the stem cell register this academic year.
The University of Leeds is one of over 50 universities with a ‘Marrow’ society, the name given to blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan’s network of student volunteer groups.
Marrow societies have recruited students to the Anthony Nolan register since 1998. For many people with blood cancers or blood disorders, receiving stem cells from a stranger is their best chance at life, so the work done by Leeds Marrow is invaluable.
Since 1998, Marrow groups have recruited over 100,000 potential donors and over 1000 of these people have gone on to donate. Over a quarter of stem cell donations that have occurred in the last two years were from donors recruited by Marrow.
Mengfei Lu, President of Leeds Marrow, said: ‘It has been an absolute pleasure working with Leeds Marrow this year. We have ran over 25 events this year across University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, recruiting over 1200 potential lifesavers onto the stem cell donor register! I am extremely proud of our committee members and volunteers.’
Charlotte Cunliffe, Marrow Programme Lead at Anthony Nolan, said: ‘Leeds Marrow really are the unsung heroes helping Anthony Nolan give hope to patients with blood cancer and, as the numbers show, it’s been an amazing, lifesaving year!
‘Every day, at least five people start their search for a matching unrelated stem cell donor. The tireless efforts of all of our selfless student volunteers, helping to grow our register and raise vital funds to make our work possible, mean that more people in urgent need are given a second chance of life’.
To find out more about Marrow, or to join your local group, visit www.anthonynolan.org/marrow
