Kate’s whirlwind donation story
“It felt like a complete whirlwind. One minute I was registering, the next I was getting calls about blood tests and donation dates!”
Most people who join the stem cell register wait years before they are a match for someone – or they don’t get called at all.
So when Kate from Somerset joined the register, she hoped she would be a match for someone, but she certainly never expected to get the call that quickly. It turns out she had joined the register just as someone was waiting for their perfect match.
There are 2,000 people in the UK waiting for the right person to join the register at any given time.
If you’ve been thinking of joining the stem cell register, today is the perfect day – someone could be waiting for you.
“Signing up was so easy”
For Kate, joining the stem cell register was a no brainer. Blood cancer has touched her life and she wanted to find a way to help.
Her Dad has been living with myeloma, a form of blood cancer, for many years and has never needed a stem cell transplant from a donor. But following the loss of a much-loved local to blood cancer, Kate was inspired to do something that could make a difference.
She searched for a way to support those patients and when she saw a call to join the stem cell register, she knew she had to sign up immediately.
“Signing up was so easy,” she says.
“I sent off my swab kit, got confirmation I was on the register... and then almost immediately found out I was a match for someone in need.”
A match for someone in need
Within just two weeks of registering, Kate received the call that she was a match for someone.
“My wife was with me when I got the news, and we were both like: we can’t believe this is happening. We were a little shocked but very excited and happy!”
The team initially told her it could be months before she would donate, but the case was suddenly escalated and discussions quickly turned to bringing the donation forward.
A simple act with a huge impact
“The thing is, it's such a simple thing to do, but it could completely change someone's life,” Kate says.
There is no way of knowing if you will be a match for someone when you first join the stem cell register. It could take years for you to get that call, or you could never get it at all.
But there is a chance that there is someone out there at this very moment who is searching for a match who has not yet registered. That person could be you.
“I think a lot of people sign up thinking they'll never get matched. I definitely did,” she continues. “But sometimes it happens faster than you could ever imagine.”
Join the register today
If you have been thinking about joining the stem cell register, the right time is always now. Kate joined the stem cell register just as a patient needed her – and her actions ended up saving a life.
