THE residents of Worcestershire are being urged to sign up to a national register which aims to forge a life-saving link with people suffering from cancer and serious blood disorders.

Just 250 people in Worcester are currently registered with Delete Blood Cancer UK, a charity which aims to provide a suitable donor for every person in need of a blood stem cell donation.

It says every 20 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma and blood stem cells from a matching donor could cure them and save their lives.

There are 2,000 people in the UK waiting for a donor at any given time and the more people there are on the register, the more likely it is that a suitable donor will be found.

Many more people in Worcestershire are eligible to register – they can be up to 55 years old and can stay on until they are 61. A spokesman for the charity said: “As people get older their blood stem cells are not as effective.”

Going on the register is a simple procedure. People can register in five minutes online and request a cheek swab kit that will enable them to do their own tissue test to become a potential stem cell donor through the Delete Blood Cancer UK website: www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk

The swab is then sent to the Delete Blood Cancer UK laboratory where the person’s sample type is identified and this information is held by the charity.

“You may never hear from us again but if we think you are a match with someone needing a donor, then a confirmation test via a blood test is conducted. A health test is also done as the health of the person registered may have changed since they went on the register,” said the spokesman.

“If there is a match the donor has to go to a centre in London or Sheffield where specialist staff and machines are used to take the stem cells. In 90 per cent of cases it is just like giving blood and in the other 10 per cent people have a general anaesthetic and it is a case of a needle into the hip bone.

“It is great that 250 people in Worcester are registered but there could be many many more. Blood stem cell donations are used to help people suffering from blood cancer and other blood disorders like fanconi anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. This is the most common precursor to leukaemia.

“Blood stem cell donation is really the last chance of survival. The more people on the register in Worcester, the more people who could have a match. It is a numbers game.”

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.”

• Delete Blood Cancer UK was launched in the UK in February 2013 with a key mission to increase the pool of lifesaving blood stem cell donors.

• It believes that not one single person suffering with a blood cancer should die because they are unable to find a matching blood stem cell donor.

• It works to raise awareness and empower people to register as potential blood stem cell donors and to join its campaign by taking action in their communities, schools and companies.

• It is working with volunteers and organisations throughout the UK to inspire and register more people.