DESPITE new statistics showing that 25,364 people from the South West have registered as blood stem cell donors with charity DKMS, the region is still falling short of potential lifesavers.

With someone diagnosed with a blood cancer every 20 minutes in the UK, DKMS is urging more people in the area to sign up and go on stand-by to help save a life ahead of Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

Blood cancers are now the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK. While for most people there is no single cure, a blood stem cell donation from a genetically similar person can offer the best treatment and could help give someone in need of a transplant a second chance at life.

DKMS has a growing register of nearly 400,000 donors but it desperately needs more if a match is to be found for everyone who needs one. Only one in three people with a blood cancer (and in need of a transplant) will find a matching blood stem cell donor within their own family — two in three need to look outside of this.

One man desperately in need of a blood stem cell transplant is 32-year-old father of two young children Vaughn Scott, who lives in Bristol. Until recently, Vaughn was incredibly fit and active playing all kinds of sports and was part of the Navy. It was while on deployment across the world that he was urgently flown back to the UK where he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

Vaughn said: ‘My diagnosis was crushing. The first thing I thought of was my family. My children don’t deserve to grow up without a father. My partner has been amazingly supportive and she helps to keep me positive. There’s a lot of uncertainty as at the moment my life depends on the goodness and bravery of a complete stranger. I’m calling out to the people of the South West to please register with DKMS — you could be my only hope and anyone else’s in need of a matching donor.’

While more donors of all genders and ages are needed, there are particular groups which are significantly underrepresented on DKMS’ register. One of these groups is men – who are over 70% less likely to register as a blood stem cell donor than women in the region.

The second group lacking in presence on the register is young people. Currently those who are 31 and over (20,414) are almost four times as likely to register as a donor compared to those 30 and younger (5,219). Anyone aged 17-55 and in general good health can register as a potential donor.

The first step to register is simple and straightforward – it takes minutes. You order your home swab kit online at dkms.org.uk and then you swab the inside of your cheeks and send everything back in a pre-paid envelope to DKMS in order for your details to be added to the registry. You will then be on standby as a potential lifesaver.

If you are called upon, there are two donation methods. Around 90% of all donations are made through a method called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC). In this method, blood is taken from one of the donor’s arms and a machine extracts the blood stem cells from it. The donor’s blood is then returned to them through their other arm. This is an outpatient procedure that is usually completed in 4-6 hours. In just 10% of cases, donations are made through bone marrow collection. Bone marrow is not extracted from the spine, but taken from the pelvic bone.

Lisa Nugent, head of donor recruitment at DKMS, said: ‘For a few minutes of your time now to sign up, you could save someone’s life in the future. If you’re between 17 and 55 and in general good health, there’s no excuse not to, as it could make all the difference to someone in need of a donation.’