What's on this page?
What do I need to know before applying?
What happens when you join the stem cell register?
What happens if you're asked to donate?
What do donors say donating feels like?
All your questions answered?
What can I do if I can't join?
For someone with blood cancer or a blood disorder, an amazing stranger donating their stem cells could be their best chance of survival.
If you sign up to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register and one day come up as a genetic match, you could be that amazing stranger. Without you, there is no cure.
Did you know?
If you’re male and/or from a minority ethnic background, then you can make an even bigger difference to patients as these donors are needed most.
Applying to join the register starts with filling in this form. Do ask for help from an Anthony Nolan volunteer if you get stuck.
Once your form is done, you can go back to the Anthony Nolan volunteer to complete your cheek swab so we can add you to the register.
It's amazing to know that I’ve been part of something that has had such a big impact on someone’s life. And it’s so easy!
Jacob, stem cell donor
What do I need to know:
- Joining the register is easy and free.
- You need to be aged 16–30 to join our stem cell register.
- You’ll stay on the register until you turn 61.
- Most people on our register will never come up as a match. But those who do, could be lifesavers.
- There are two ways you could be asked to donate, and you need to be comfortable with both as doctors decide which is best:
- 90% of people donate in a process called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection, which uses a special machine to filter out stem cells from your bloodstream. You’ll receive a course of injections for a few days first, then go into hospital for the collection, which usually takes around 4-5 hours.
- 10% of people donate through their bone marrow. The cells are collected from your hip bone. You’re placed under a general anaesthetic throughout. This means you will be unconscious and won’t feel any pain. You’ll stay in hospital for two nights.
Did you know?
You need to be aged 16–30 to join our stem cell register. Research has shown that younger donors increase a patients' chance of surviving.
What happens when you join the stem cell register?
1. Fill in the form
We have an online application form that asks all the right questions:
- Your details, including age and weight to check you’re eligible, as well as contact information
- Medical questionnaire to make sure you are in good health to donate. Keeping you safe is our top priority!
- A back-up contact who we can get in touch with if we’re struggling to reach you if you come up as a match
2. Complete your swab
Once you've completed the form, take the confirmation screen to an Anthony Nolan volunteer at your event so we can collect a swab sample. We can only add you to the register once we’ve got your swabs back in our lab ready to find out your tissue type.
3. You’re Lifesaver Ready
You’ll get an email and donor card in the post when your application is complete. If you haven’t already, now is the time to let the world know you’re #LifesaverReady!
After you’ve sent those Tweets/Whatsapps/told your nearest and dearest or posted on TikTok, it’s time to wait and see if one day you get the call to say you’re a match.
Don't forget...
...to keep your contact details up to date so we can quickly get in touch if you’re a match.
What happens if you are asked to donate?
You’re a match!
If you are identified as a potential match for a patient, then we’ll be in touch! We’ll call, email and text to make sure we reach you - please get back to our team as soon as possible.
You’ll be asked to provide some blood samples, and if the match is confirmed then you’ll have a medical examination to make sure it’s completely safe for you to donate.
Did you know?
You’ll be asked to donate in one of our collection centres – these are in NHS and private hospitals in Sheffield, Manchester, Oxford and London.
It humbled me to think that, despite my own struggles with redundancy, I can still help other people
Georgia, stem cell donor
2. Your donation
When your donation can go ahead, we’ll arrange a date that suits you and organise absolutely everything.
Did you know?
We’ll book and pay for hotels and travel for you and a companion, and cover any reasonable expenses and loss of earnings.
Whatever method you donate via, you’ll receive a visit or a phone call from an Anthony Nolan volunteer to say a huge thank you from all of us.
Did you know?
Your donation will be completely anonymous and will take place in the UK. Amazingly, your donated cells could go to help someone anywhere in the world!
3. After your donation
Once you have donated, our lovely Donor Follow-Up team will check in with you to make sure you’re doing OK.
Most donors will feel some side-effects due to their donation, but they’re usually mild and get better with rest:
- If you donate through your bloodstream, the most common side effect is bone pain after your pre-donation injections as your body is busy producing extra stem cells. You may also feel fatigued - taking paracetamol and resting should help, and these will go away quickly after your donation day.
- If you donate through your bone marrow, you’ll feel achy in the area around your hip bones in your back where the bone marrow was taken from and have some bruising, as well as feel tired after the general anaesthetic. Again, taking paracetamol and resting should help.
We also keep in touch with our donors for the next 10 years to make sure you’re doing well.
Depending on the rules in different countries, our Donor Follow-Up team might be able to help you make contact with your recipient if you wanted to – this would be anonymous for the first two years.
What do donors say donating feels like?
Is it painful?
'I ended up basically just taking a long nap and watched a few movies. It was quite cosy especially with heated blankets to allow my blood to flow better. All in all it was quite therapeutic.'
'I’ve never had a general anaesthetic before but that was not as big a deal as I thought it was. I was tired, but when I was in recovery I was just lying there and I didn’t feel like I had had anything done'
Do I have to take time off work?
'The process was all so easy because it was all fitted around me. They fit it to when I was free and when I could get down there, and my employer said I could take any time off I needed'
Did you know?
You might need to take some time off work for your donation and recovery – if your employer won’t give you paid leave, we’ll cover any loss of earnings.
What if I don’t like needles?
'I'm not keen on needles, I'm not keen on blood tests, I'm not keen on any of that kind of stuff. But this process was made so easy by everyone involved, so if anyone is on the fence about registering because of similar fears that I had, it’s not something to worry about. I think saving someone’s life speaks for itself.'
All your questions answered
Why do you need to be aged 16–30?
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Legally, you can only give ‘informed consent’ to join when you’re over 16.
A stem cell donation is voluntary and wouldn’t directly benefit you, so your parent/guardian can’t give consent on your behalf.
Our upper age limit is 30 because our research has shown that stem cell transplants work better if the donor is younger so we focus our limited funds on recruiting donors aged 30 and under.
Once you're on it, you could be asked to donate until you turn 61.
Why do you need more men to join the register?
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Young men are far more likely to be chosen to donate by transplant centres and provide more than half of all donations. Unfortunately, they only make up 18% of our register.
There’s therefore an urgent need for more to sign up.
Can I join the register if I'm a gay man?
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Of course. Your sexuality won’t stop you joining our register. You’ll be subject to the same rules and health checks as everyone else.
Can I join the register if I'm taking PrEP?
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Of course. But if you're asked to donate between now and when you turn 61, then you might not be able to donate if you’re still taking PrEP or took it in the months leading up to our request. This is because PrEP interferes with the testing process that all potential donors go through.
Why do you need more people from minority ethnic backgrounds?
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People from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to have unique tissue types (the particular collection of HLA genes used for matching patients and donors for transplant), and this means it can be harder to find fully matched unrelated donors for them.
We are dedicated to recruiting more people from minority ethnic backgrounds to our register, as each person we recruit is another chance of finding a lifesaving match.
If I've already joined a stem cell register, do I need to apply again?
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No. You only need to be on one register as every time a patient needs a transplant, their hospital will contact Anthony Nolan and we will search all the potential donors in the UK and around the world to find a match.
How can I check if I'm already on the Anthony Nolan stem cell register?
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You can send your name and date of birth to our team so they can check for you. Email register.support@anthonynolan.org
Why do you need to be willing to donate via both methods?
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It’s ultimately up to a patient’s doctor to decide whether they need stem cells collected from the bloodstream or from the bone marrow based on what’s best for the patient. That’s why you need to understand and be willing to donate via both methods.
If you came up as a match and didn’t want to go ahead, it could have serious consequences if the patient has already started their preparation treatment for a transplant. That’s why we ask you to be fully committed to donating as possible when you sign up.
What are the chances that I'll be called up as a match?
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We’ll only ask you to donate if you have a similar tissue type to someone in desperate need of a transplant. Most people on our register never donate.
Once you are on the register you have a 1 in 800 chance of being asked to donate in the next five years.
However, it is worth knowing that your chance of being chosen to donate depends on your age and sex. A young man aged 16–30 has a 1 in 200 chance of being chosen to donate in the next five years.
Where can I find out more about PBSC and bone marrow donation?
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You can read through the whole process in detail on our PBSC donor page and bone marrow donor page. Remember to come back to this page to sign up when you’re ready!
What happens to the person who receives my stem cells?
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Your recipient will have undergone a lot of treatment to get them to the day of their stem cell transplant. Your cells will allow their body to grow a brand new immune system that can help stop their blood cancer or blood disorder from coming back.
In effect, you’ll have gifted them a second chance at life. How amazing is that?!
If you have a question that we haven’t answered here, please email our team at register.support@anthonynolan.org
What can I do if I can’t join?
If you’re not able to join the register or you just can’t wait to start saving lives, then there are some very important ways you can help grow the stem cell register right now: