A teenager from Hampshire is backing a blood cancer charity’s campaign to hep find more young stem cell donors.
Millie Aplin-Haynes joined the Anthony Nolan bone marrow donor register on her 16th birthday after her sister, Kitty, had a bone marrow transplant.
Now, she is supporting Anthony Nolan’s ‘Save A Life At 16’ campaign which aims to persuade HMRC to include details about stem cell donation when it writes to young people with their National Insurance numbers ahead of their 16th birthdays.
Millie joining the register
Millie, 16, from Stockbridge, said: "I was so desperate to become a stem cell donor because the person I might be a match for could be at any stage in their cancer journey and the thought of that person missing out on the rest of their life, because I didn't sign up, gets to me so bad - it really upsets me! I just want to make a difference as soon as I can."
Millie was determined to join the register as soon as she was old enough because she has seen first-hand the importance of bone marrow donation.
Millie's sister, Kitty, was diagnosed with leukaemia in August 2011 and had years of treatment. Despite this, she relapsed in February this year and it became plain she would need a stem cell transplant to survive.
Millie and her brother were tested but neither were matches for Kitty so an unrelated donor was found for her by Anthony Nolan.
Millie said: "I desperately wanted to be the donor for my sister because I often feel like I can't do anything to help her. If I was her donor then it would have seemed like I was helping to save her life."
She added: "Thank you Anthony Nolan - the donor you found for Kitty is our hero!"
Millie with her sister, Kitty
Sign our #SaveaLifeat16 petition and help us save more people like Kitty
As she knows the importance of stem cell donation, Millie is supporting Anthony Nolan’s ‘Save A Life At 16’ campaign which launched at the start of September. It aims to persuade HMRC to send details about the charity to young people when they receive their National Insurance numbers ahead of their 16th birthdays.
It is hoped this would lead to an increase in the number of young people on the register as they are more likely to be chosen by doctors as donors.
So far, over 8,000 people have signed a petition in support of the idea and celebrities, including Stephen Fry, TOWIE’s Bobby Cole Norris and Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby, have tweeted about it.
Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “Every year in the UK around 2,000 people with blood cancer need stem cell donations from a stranger. We believe young people are passionate about helping others, but they also need to be well informed about the chances open to them.
“By agreeing to our proposal, the government can make it easier for people as young as 16 to become life savers.”
