Sixth former helps raise awareness of stem cell donation

As part of our Spring Term Field Day, Ellie P (MSH, UVI) organised an incredibly compelling talk in order to raise awareness about how easy it is to save lives.   

On Thursday we welcomed Pete McCleave, the founder of 10,000 Donors, to Shrewsbury to give a talk to 100 pupils and teachers about the importance of stem cell donation to help treat people suffering with blood cancer.  

Head of Charities, Naomi Pritchard, said: “Many of us take on our social responsibility to give blood to help people, however, we now have vital information about how easy it is to do something similar to save the lives of people with blood cancer via a simple cheek swab.  Only 3% of our population are on the donor register and Ellie has been key in taking a strong lead with this project to educate people and spread the word about how easy it is to become a donor.” 

Ellie said: "For a very long time now I have wanted to spread the word about the Stem Cell Register. It is something very close to my heart as it saved my Mum’s life when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.  

“A simple cheek swab really does have so much potential - and the opportunity to educate people on this is invaluable. Pete’s effort to increase the number of people on the register must not be overlooked, especially as he is still trying to find a stem cell match himself. I hope that the talk can be built upon, and that we can continue to spread awareness of the Stem Cell register, simultaneously saving the lives of people with blood cancer.  

“If you want to find out more information or register yourself, visit Pete’s website ‘10,000 donors.com’.”