Boy's leukaemia fight inspires stem cell donor drive

Maggie Fearon, who is encouraging people to join the bone marrow donation register, said the drive began small and was gaining momentum

A big stem cell donor registration drive is taking place in Derbyshire following the leukaemia battle of a nurse's teenage relative.

Maggie Fearon, who works at the Royal Derby Hospital, appealed for colleagues to become donors last year after her relative needed a transplant.

This week they are doing it for the second time but on a larger scale.

It is taking place all week, and will visit 10 hospitals including ones in Ripley, Ilkeston and Derby.

The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) said it was set to be the biggest stem cell donor drive in the UK by an NHS trust.

For some people with the disease, their only chance at survival is finding a matching stem cell donor

Ms Fearon, who works as a breast nurse, said: "My cousin's child Daniel was 14 when he got acute myeloid leukaemia so his family and friends began a massive campaign called Do it for Daniel.

"We thought we could do something to help.

"Daniel has gone on to have three stem cell transplants because he has ran into difficulties but he is a really resilient, incredible young man.

"He is 16 now - he is really poorly but we are sending him all our love. We are trying to help other kids like Daniel."

Only four in 10 people will currently find a match on the stem cell register, said a blood cancer charity

Liam Christopher, from blood cancer charity DKMS UK, said it was about "giving people a second chance of life" when they needed a transplant and did not have a match within their family.

"It's really important - if someone needs a stem cell transplant they are really in need," he said.

He said stem cells were the start of your blood cells, and a blood disorder or cancer meant they did not do their job correctly - a transplant swaps those for healthy ones.

"Only four in 10 people will find a match on the stem cell register which is why it is so important to get as many people as possible on the register as possible to improve those chances," he said.