LOCAL MSP COLIN BEATTIE CELEBRATES COMMUNITY’S EFFORTS TO CURE BLOOD CANCER

Celebrating the 813 potential lifesavers in Midlothian North and Musselburgh this Blood Cancer Awareness Month
 
To mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September, Colin Beattie MSP took part in a digital ‘Day of Action’ to celebrate the number of potential stem cell donors in Midlothian North and Musselburgh on the Anthony Nolan register and raise awareness of the urgent need for more donors in light of the challenges to donor recruitment presented by the pandemic.
 
This day was marked by Anthony Nolan on Wednesday 9 September, as part of its Communities vs Blood Cancer campaign, which shines a spotlight on vital work being done locally to ensure that every patient in need of a stem cell transplant can find a lifesaving donor.
 
Anthony Nolan’s lifesaving work has been greatly enhanced at a local level by the charity’s eleven-year partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, who undertake vital work in schools through the SFRS Education Programme.
 
In Midlothian North and Musselburgh, 813 potential stem cell donors are registered with Anthony Nolan. Only 20 of these donors are men aged 16-30, and the average age is 34.
 
In total, more than 800,000 people in the UK are on the Anthony Nolan register, any of whom could be a match for someone with blood cancer and asked to donate their stem cells to give a patient a second chance of life.
 
Now, Colin Beattie is encouraging more people from Midlothian North and Musselburgh, particularly men aged 16-30 and people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, to register as stem cell donors and make sure that a match is available for everyone in need of a transplant. While anyone on the register could be a match for someone with blood cancer, men aged 16-30 are most likely to be asked to donate. They provide more than 50% of donations yet make up just 18% of the register. There is also a shortage of donors from non-white and mixed-race backgrounds.
 
Colin Beattie MSP said: “I am very proud that Midlothian North and Musselburgh has 813 registered donors, any one of whom could offer the only chance of giving someone with blood cancer a second chance at life. Donating stem cells is straightforward but it could make an enormous difference to someone with no other chance of a cure.”
 
Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “In the last year 813 selfless Scots from Midlothian North and Musselburgh joined the Anthony Nolan register, each one representing hope for patients with blood cancer, and blood disorders, in need of matching stem cell donors.
 
“This Blood Cancer Awareness Month residents can be proud of all the lifesavers in your community. To everyone from Midlothian North and Musselburgh who has taken the decision to join the register, thank you. It is vital we recruit more ethnically-diverse, young, male, donors to ensure everyone who needs a transplant can access one. Without you, there is no cure.”
 
For more information on Anthony Nolan visit anthonynolan.org/join
 
Anthony Nolan uses its register to match potential stem cell donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of a stem cell transplant. It also carries out vital research to make stem cell transplants more successful and supports patients through their transplant journeys.