The Kardashians' campaign to find a match for their cousin Cici demonstrates the importance of people from Black and Asian minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds joining the bone marrow register.
Sadly 70% of people won’t find a matching bone marrow donor within their family. Instead they rely on a finding a matching donor on the bone marrow register: a stranger willing to donate their bone marrow to save their life.
Patients from white Northern European backgrounds have around a 90% chance of finding a matching donor on the register, but for patients from more diverse backgrounds, like the Kardashians’ cousin Cici who is of Armenian descent, that chance falls to just 40%.
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, says: ‘Anthony Nolan is working hard to increase the number of BAME donors on the register to give patients like Cici the best possible chance of finding a match. There are many myths which put people off joining the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, but signing up is very simple. Becoming a potential lifesaver involves filling in an online form and giving a saliva sample. In 90% of cases, the donation procedure is similar to giving blood.'
Find out more about joining the register.
Visit the Mail Online website to read more about the Kardashians' campaign.