A BLOOD cancer charity is supporting the Royal Berks to bring better care for patients receiving bone marrow treatment.
DKMS has announced it is to provide resourced to the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust’s Haematology team, which provides care for people diagnosed with a range of diseases, including blood cancer, and performs stem cell transplants.
Now the work which is led by Transplant Consultant Dr Asif Khan and Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Nurse Specialist Gabriella Harwood, is being supported by DKMS.
The charity is providing information for patients and their families following a diagnosis.
It will also provide details of how the charity can support those who require stem cell transplants, as well as information about how people can register as potential stem cell donors.
There’s an urgent need for more people to sign up as donors, as at any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant, but currently only 2.8% of the eligible population in England are signed up with DKMS as potential donors.
Bone marrow specialist Gabriella Harwood said: “Any one has the potential be become a lifesaver-many patients who are diagnosed with a blood cancer or blood disorder find that chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone is not enough – they need a stem cell transplant.
“However, with so few people registered as stem cell donors, there’s no guarantee of finding a match, which is heart-breaking.
“The biggest win of my career would be to get people talking about stem cell donation in the same way they talk about giving blood.
She explained: “The more it is spoken about, the more myths and fears will be dispelled, the more people will sign up to the register, and the more likely we’ll be able to find matches for our patients, ultimately giving them more time to live their lives with the people they love.
“I hope by working with DKMS we can not only start that conversation but encourage others to as well.”
DKMS spokesperson Deborah Hyde said: “Gabriella and her colleagues at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust are at the forefront of caring for patients with blood cancer and blood disorders, and they have a vital role to play in raising awareness of the urgent need for more people to register as potential stem cell donors, especially from currently under-represented communities.
“DKMS UK is delighted to be supporting them in their invaluable work.”
Anyone aged 17 – 55 years who is in general good health can register to receive a mouth swab kit online at: www.dkms.org.uk/register
