Manchester Marrow charity to hold Hero Week to raise awareness for blood cancer

Manchester Marrow,  a group of students from the University of Manchester, are running a campaign to increase the number of individuals on the stem cell register.

Hero Week will run from the 19^th to 24^th November, and the charity hopes that they will be able to provide the relevant help to those suffering with blood cancer. Working with the organisation Anthony Nolan, a variety of different events will take place all over Manchester.

Every year, around 2000 people diagnosed with blood cancer require stem cell transplants. With blood cancer being the third most lethal type of cancer, charity Manchester Marrow is hoping to raise awareness of ways to help through their Hero Week event.

One of the members of the Manchester Marrow team, Max Tami, was diagnosed with blood cancer when he was just nine years old. He stressed just how important the stem cell register is, explaining how one donor changed his life forever.

He said, “Being told a match had been found for me was as if someone had breathed new life into me, reigniting my will to continue my fight. It provided hope in a hopeless situation and without that hope, I would not be here today. I am completely indebted to my donor’s decision to become a lifesaver. Without them, I would not have even had the chance to survive.”

Manchester Marrow co-president, Matt Smith, hopes that Hero Week will be successful in helping others like Max.

“This Hero Week we are hoping to recruit more potential lifesavers than ever. We want every person with blood cancer to find their lifesaving match and you could be that hero for someone,” Smith said. The group hopes to achieve this by holding multiple events throughout the city.

Tami said, “At our events, students will have the chance to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register there and then. We’ll give students cheek swabs and ask them to fill out a quick form. On the day our lovely volunteers will be able to answer any questions you may have.”

To discover a Hero Week event near you, you can follow Manchester Marrow on Facebook or sign the register on Antony Nolan’s website.