Nearly 4,500 Londoners have pledged to become life-savers this summer by joining the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.
In June, we revealed that London has more potential bone marrow donors than any other region, after we mapped our register of potential bone marrow donors for the first time.
The data, which broke the bone marrow register down by constituency, showed that Finchley and Golders Green was the area with the most potential donors. We also called on more Londoners to champion the register and sign up.
Today, Anthony Nolan has re-visited the data and found that thousands of Londoners have since come forward, and the ‘map’ of donors now looks quite different.
Londoners flock to join the bone marrow register
The figures have revealed that Vauxhall has had the most altruistic summer in London, and Dagenham and Rainham the least. They show that 161 people in Vauxhall joined the bone marrow register between June and September this year – the highest figure for any London constituency.
The next most altruistic area was found to be Holborn and St Pancras where 159 people signed up. Tooting came a close third with 149 new donors registered in the three month period.
But the data also revealed that the people of some of the capital’s constituencies are rather less likely to go out of their way to help a stranger. Only 13 people in Dagenham and Rainham joined the Anthony Nolan register between June and September. The next least altruistic constituency was revealed to be Orpington where only 18 people signed up. Eltham fared little better with just 20 new potential donors.
While it does not feature in the list of the constituencies with the most new donors, Finchley and Golders Green remains the constituency with the most people on the register when all of the country’s constituencies are taken into account. In second place nationally was Hendon which has also retained its position since June.
An extra 4,500 lifesavers
There are now more than 84,500 Londoners on the Anthony Nolan register which was set up 40 years ago to help find lifesaving matches for people with blood cancer who desperately need a stem cell, or bone marrow, transplant. This figure can be compared to just three months ago when there were about 80,000 London residents on the register.
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, said: “Donating stem cells to save the life of a stranger is a remarkably selfless act and it’s great to see so many Londoners joining the register.
“While we are delighted that so many people signed up this summer, we still need more kind-hearted people to come forward. Even with more than 540,000 people currently on the register nationally, we are only able to find perfect matches for 60 per cent of the patients who need them.”
She added: “Mapping the register in this way will help us to target our efforts in order to grow the register and save more lives. We now need people all over the UK to join the fight against blood cancer and champion the register at a local level as we can see that it works.”
How you can help
People aged 16 to 30 can join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, just by filling in an online form and giving a spit sample. They will then stay on the register until they are 60. About 90 per cent of those who are asked to donate can do so through a procedure similar to giving blood.
Be a hero - find out how you many lifesavers live in your constituency by visiting www.anthonynolan.org/superhero