AnthonyNolan

Answer from Ann at Anthony Nolan:

Donors and recipients are matched on something called 'HLA' (Human Leukocyte Antigen) and this is inherited. The most likely match is usually someone from a similar ethnic background. So yes, if you were to come up as a match it would probably be for someone who is also mixed ethnicity. But the most important thing is that you are on the register in the first place and you're there if someone if you ever come up as their match! - Ann

Answer from Sean:

Q1 - I didn't really have to do any preparations prior to donating, other than having the course of injections (2 a day for 3 days) that are part of the procedure before the actual donation (and are pain free!). Other than that it was just any normal day.

Q2 - I didn't have any struggles afterwards other than desperately needing to go to the toilet!!! My procedure is very similar to giving blood but lasted for 4 hours so the toilet was the first place I went afterwards ha. My appetite wasn't affected in any way, I was in Nandos that very same evening having plenty of chicken and a few pints of beer! And mentally I feel great, I do feel very proud but I must stress how easy the whole thing was!

Q3 - I would absolutely do it all again, something so simple that has had a massive impact on someone's life - it's quite amazing and Id love to do it again. - Sean

Answer from Ann at Anthony Nolan:

Bone marrow donation used to be the only way to donate and this is where bone marrow is extracted from the hip bone under general anaesthetic. There are lots of myths about what's involved, but it's a really simple procedure (as Ethan will tell you!) and is very safe.

Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation (PBSC) is the 'new' way of donating and actually 90% of people donate that way now. The donor is given a short course of injections (of a naturally occurring hormone) to encourage their body to produce more stem cells and then those stem cells can be taken from their bloodstream. This donation takes about 4-5 hours and is very straightforward (as Sean will tell you!). - Ann

Hi, it’s Anthony Nolan here, the charity that looks after the UK’s stem cell register. We asked these guys to share their stories today because we think they’re amazing individuals who have made a life changing difference to people with blood cancer. We think it’s a fair title for them!

Answer from Ethan:

Hi, to be honest I did no preparation before hand, It wasn't necessary. The only requirements were to be generally healthy. I had to have a medical examination to determine this. Secondly, I didn't really have any struggles, I had some slight pain on my lower back from the operation but that was just something that was easily dealt with by paracetamol. Thirdly, yes! It really wasn't much trouble at all to do. - Ethan