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Delete Blood Cancer UK is telling people in Plymouth that they are almost unique, and that it is a good thing because it means they could save a life.

The charity says that there is usually one or two people in the general population with the same tissue-type as you and that you share a potentially lifesaving link with them. They say that having the same tissue-type as another person means that you could help save their life by donating some of your blood stem cells to them if they needed them to cure a blood cancer – and that they could do the same for you.

The charity says that, while it is wonderful that one person could save the life of another who was a tissue-type match for them, this can only happen if they are registered to be on standby to donate some of their blood stem cells to someone who needs them. That is why the charity is highlighting the fact that most of us have tissue-type matches with other people but that it is usually only a few people in the general population who could save their life, and that it is therefore crucial that they are registered to donate some of their blood stem cells.

There are currently over 200 people in Plymouth registered with the charity to be on standby to donate some of their blood stem cells to someone who needs them for their survival. However, the charity says that many more people from Plymouth are eligible to register and it is encouraging them to go on standby to save a life.

As Deirdra Taylor, Director of Communications and Donor Relations at Delete Blood Cancer UK, explains: “By putting yourself on standby to donate some of your blood stem cells to another person, you could give them a second chance of life. Above all, you will now know that nobody, whose life you could have saved by donating some of your blood stem cells to them, will die because you aren’t registered. If you register, and do match to a patient, you will possibly be found to be their only match.”

You can register in five minutes online and request a cheek swab kit that will enable you to do your own tissue test to become a potential stem cell donor through the Delete Blood Cancer UK website: www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk