Anthony Nolan recruitment clinics a success
6 May 2008
NEW RECRUITS TO A LIFESAVING DONOR REGISTER
An impressive 91 volunteers registered with
the Anthony Nolan Trust at its donor recruitment clinics last week,
and joined the Bone Marrow Register to start saving lives. The
first clinic, hosted by Fairbairn Private Bank in Douglas, Isle of
Man, was held on 1 May and secured 35 potential donors. A second
clinic was held at Friends Provident in Castletown on 2 May, at
which 56 volunteers joined the register.
Every 21 minutes someone is diagnosed with a
potentially life threatening disorder, like leukaemia or aplastic
anaemia, where often the only chance of a full cure is to have a
bone marrow transplant. Fewer than 30% of these patients will find
a family member with compatible blood stem cells to donate. For the
rest, an unrelated donor is the only chance and the Anthony Nolan
Trust exists to facilitate a transplant for any patient in the
world in need of bone marrow or appropriate cells.
The charity became prominent in the staff’s
minds after the partner of a colleague in the Jersey office was
diagnosed with leukaemia and requires a bone marrow donor match.
His fight against the disease is particularly poignant as he has
just become a father for the first time and would like to get home
from hospital to enjoy as much time as possible with his one month
old baby.
A further Anthony Nolan Trust clinic is
scheduled in Jersey on 20 May 2008 and hopes to attract as many
potential donors as possible. The bank’s Jersey office will also be
holding fundraising events to support this.
To further support the trust, Fairbairn
Private Bank Isle of Man office held various fundraising activities
on 1 May, including a staff dress down day, bake-a-cake competition
and a raffle. The total raised so far is £335, but collections have
yet to be counted from the bank’s Strand Street fundraising, where
staff members handed out balloons and information to the public, to
help raise awareness of the clinics. The staff’s fundraising figure
will be boosted even further from sponsorship money raised by a
staff team of six ladies that took part in the Ladies Driving
Challenge on 5 May, at Jurby.
For more information, please contact the
Anthony Nolan Trust at http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk/
or call 020 7284 1234.
Ends
For Further Information:
Janet Taylor or Lesley Allegro
Tel: +44 (0)1624 645000
Notes to Editor:
About the Anthony Nolan
Trust
The Anthony Nolan Trust was founded as a
registered charity in 1974 by Shirley Nolan OBE. The Anthony
Nolan Trust exists to facilitate a transplant for any patient in
the world in need of bone marrow or appropriate cells.
Should a donor ever match to donate stem cells
a short hospital stay is required and the stem cells can be donated
in two ways. Either direct from the bone marrow via the
pelvis under a general anaesthetic (cells will regenerate in the
body within seven days) or after a series of injections to increase
stem cell production, the extra cells are withdrawn from veins in
the arms (similar to platelet donation). Donors have the
choice of donation method and all donations take place in
London. All the donor’s loss of earnings and travel costs are
covered and donors have a full medical prior to donating.
Bone marrow, found in the centre of all large
bones, is the ‘factory’ where new blood cells are made.
Without it our bodies would be unable to produce the white cells
needed to fight infection or the red cells needed to carry oxygen
and remove waste products from organs and tissues. Absence of
healthy bone marrow also prevents the production of platelets,
which help blood to clot and stop bleeding.
About Fairbairn Private
Bank
Fairbairn Private Bank operates a
comprehensive private and personal banking operation on behalf of a
wide range of clients. These include private individuals, small and
large companies, trusts, governments and institutional investors. A
full range of banking, investment, trust and corporate services can
be accessed through its offices in the Isle of Man, Jersey and its
representative office in South Africa.
Fairbairn Private Bank is a member of the Old
Mutual Group.
When referring to Fairbairn Private Bank –
please ensure that the company name is printed in full and not
abbreviated.