Stem cell donor plea after woman given months to live

Yvette Chin is struggling to find a stem cell match after being diagnosed with cancer

A woman with a rare form of cancer who has been given months to live is urging people to join the bone marrow register to help save her life.

Yvette Chin, 41, who has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, has been told her only chance of survival was to find a match for stem cell donation.

Ms Chin, who is of Chinese and Jamaican heritage, said there was a lack of stem cell donors from ethnic minorities.

A swab drive was held in Liverpool earlier in a bid to find a match.

"This is the only option of a cure for me," said Ms Chin, who was diagnosed in May 2021.

The ex-University of Liverpool student has had various treatments including chemotherapy and a clinical trial.

Ms Chin, from London, said she was told she only had months to live in February when the trial failed unless a suitable stem cell donor was found.

She has appealed for people from east Asian backgrounds to come forward.

Yvette Chin says there is a lack of donors registered from ethnic minorities

"There is such a huge disparity between the number of white donors registered and ethnic minorities," said Ms Chin, who helps refurbish historic buildings including Buckingham Palace.

Her family are driving a campaign to "bridge the gap" using #SwabforYvette, she said.

"If it is not a donor for me, it could be a donor for someone else," she told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Please consider doing this - you could save someone's life."

The campaign group said it had swabbed almost 100 people at a session at the University of Liverpool earlier held by DKMS, a charity dedicated to research into blood disorders.

"It was amazing and many were from different ethnic backgrounds," Jo Henry, of #SwabforYvette, said.

"We are hoping it will generate a match for Yvette and many more like her in a similar situation."

Dozens of people also attended a registration event held by the Anthony Nolan Trust, which connects patients in need of new stem cells with donors, as part of the Liverpool Against Racism festival.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]