WHO NEEDS STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS? “Transplants are needed by people like Kierran, from London Kierran was at university when he was diagnosed with leukaemia. He underwent chemotherapy but relapsed and was told he needed a stem cell transplant to save his life. There’s only a 25% chance that someone would get a match from a sibling and – like most patients- Kierran had to hope there was a stranger on the donor register who was a match for him Unfortunately, it was harder for Kierran to find a match because of his ethnic background. He is now well but wants to raise awareness of donation in his community. He said: “Being told that my odds of finding a match were lower because I’m black was annoying, but kind of expected. I think there’s a lack of knowledge in my community about these things. People need to be told that the procedure isn’t what they think. For black people, helping out in the community is so important, but the truth is that people are not signing up to be stem cell donors.” Additional info: Ethnic background affects your tissue type - you are more likely to be a match for someone with the same ethnic background There is a shortage of donors from ethnic minority backgrounds which means it’s harder for patients from these backgrounds to find a match If you’re white, northern European, you have a 96% chance of finding a match – this drops to 60% if you’re from a BAME background