What's On: Could You Be My Match?

When Beverley De-Gale and Orin Lewis received the news their 6 year old son Daniel De-Gale, had been diagnosed with leukemia in 1996, they decided to start The African Caribbean Leukemia Trust (ACLT). Daniel’s only hope of survival was to receive a bone marrow transplant; bone marrow has racially specific characteristics therefore Daniel’s donor could only be found from the black or mixed race population of which 550 were registered. In 1999 after three years of campaigning alongside his parents for donors to come forward and join the bone marrow registry he became the first black person in the UK (aged 12), to receive a lifesaving bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. Daniel survived leukemia and lived for several more years but on the 8th of October 2008 he died due to an unrelated illness.

The ACLT continue with their life saving work of spreading awareness surrounding bone marrow, blood and organ donation with ethnic minorities with the sole purpose to increase the number of ethnic minorities registered on the bone marrow, blood and organ registers. Since being established 18 years ago, the ACLT have increased the number of African, Caribbean and mixed race potential donors on the UK bone marrow lists (Anthony Nolan and British Bone Marrow Registry) from approx. 550 to approx. 50,000 and have also saved over 50 individuals lives through finding bone marrow donors.

In celebration of Daniel De-Gale's 28th birthday, The ACLT are hosting a registration drive at Global Radio in conjunction with Capital Xtra.

Where

30 Leicester Square London WC2H 7LA

When

Saturday 14th March 2015

12pm till 6pm.

For More info on up and coming registration drives visit here the ACLT Donor Drives page. 

#CouldYouBeMyMatch

From Micky with Love

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