Calling all spinal bone marrow donors in the United Kingdom to update their contact details

Hello everybody, a work colleague of mine here in Spain has a close friend who is suffering from acute myeloid leukemia. The problem is that after treatment the illness returned and they are trying to locate a compatible donor in the UK.

Could you please post the following letter on your forums/bloggs/webs and even email it to anybody you know in the UK so that it may help sergio to find a donor.

Thanks in advance everybody.

Rich

The Letter

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Rich. AML is a particularly aggressive form of leukemia, so I hope a match can be found soon.

It's for exactly this reason that I am an organ donor (obviously I have to die first), a registered bone marrow donor (although I've only told them my blood type) and a blood donor (I've given blood several times). In fact, a close relative of mine received a blood transfusion just last week. Only 5% of people in the UK who are medically suitable blood donors actually do donate blood. I'd ask anybody who doesn't donate blood already to consider doing so; you will be saving a life, and you never know when you yourself may need a blood transfusion.

Best wishes,

-Dave

Thanks mate.

Come on everybody !! Let's see where you are emailing and posting this letter. This guy needs serious help. I kid you not, that just emailing or posting this letter on a blogg may get the right person to update their contact details and you will "literally" be saving somebody's life.

Now where is the "community" that we all brag and boast about ?

It's very sad to hear that

I hope they'll find a donor for him!

I'm going to send this to some cousins living in the UK they might know some forums, discussion boards and stuff.

Sorry to *bump* this thread so soon, but I would really like as many people as possible to see this post. As I have said, somebody's life is at stake.

Please Digg this story:Digg - Calling spinal bone marrow donors in the UK to update their contact details

PS: Could I request that a Moderator or Admin sticky this thread for a short while? It would really be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rich

Can I ask a silly question, why does it need to be spinal bone marrow?

the white blood cells are generated in the spinal bone marrow

from wikipedia about symptoms:

Damage to the bone marrow, by way of displacing the normal bone marrow cells with higher numbers of immature white blood cells, results in a lack of blood platelets, which are important in the blood clotting process. This means people with leukemia may become bruised, bleed excessively, or develop pinprick bleeds (petechiae).

White blood cells, which are involved in fighting pathogens, may be suppressed or dysfunctional. This could cause the patient's immune system (white blood cells etc.) to start attacking other body cells.

Finally, the red blood cell deficiency leads to anemia, which may cause dyspnea.

I am well aware of the impact of AML and the roles of the parts of the blood. I have just never heard it specifically requested as 'spinal bone marrow transplant' before. It has always just been referred to as 'bone marrow transplant'

I wasn't trying to offend you

But it's interesting as this may be specific to the usage of the english language.
In Italian and German you ask for "midollo spinale" or "Rückenmark" which both means spinal bone marrow.