15 May 2010
National donor registers are chronically short of potential donors from ethnic groups, and urgently need to recruit more volunteer donors from all ethnic backgrounds, including  Mediterranean.
Patients  are shocked to find out that, due to their background, the odds of finding a suitable donor are much worse than if they were a Caucasian patient. Most matches are found from within the same ethnic community as the patient.
There is only a short window of time that a patient could receive a bone marrow transplant, so it is vital that that the register is increase in representation.
Some people may be put off by outdated perceptions of what a bone marrow transplant entails. Thanks to advances in medicine, donating bone marrow is now much easier, and, for most people pain, free.
The Leukaemia Society is calling on people to register for bone marrow donation. For details on how to register please Contact Us
Anyone aged between 18 and 40 and in general good health would make a potential donor.
This is the chance for someone to make a profound difference to someone's life.