You made this possible
Over the past year, we’ve felt the impacts of Brexit, the pinch of rising costs and the lingering presence of Covid-19.
In spite of all this our staff, patients, donors, volunteers, supporters and partner organisations made it possible for us to make more lifesaving matches, to drive pioneering research and to be there for transplant patients, no matter what.
Read on to find out what your help made possible this year.
Our highlights
An introduction from our Chief Executive, Henny Braund MBE
What we achieved together this year
More than 1,350 patients given a second chance of life
More than 875,000 potential donors active on our stem cell register, including more than 41,000 new sign-ups aged 16-30
£9m raised and donated by our incredible supporters and partners
165 cord transplants facilitated for UK and international patients
26 countries received stem cells for patients from Anthony Nolan donors
*These figures cover the period 1 April 2021-31 March 2022
How we funded our work
It all started with Anthony
Ever since one little boy and his mother, Shirley, sparked a revolution by creating a register of stem cell donors, we’ve been driven by the same purpose – to save and improve the lives of everyone in need of a stem cell transplant.
There's still work to be done
Despite the progress we’ve made this year to grow and diversify our donor register and achieve research breakthroughs, not every patient is finding their lifesaving match.
And we’re not OK with that.
Our three top priorities this year
Making lifesaving matches
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Why?
Because not everyone has the same chance of getting the match they need. Finding the right donor is particularly challenging for patients from minority ethnic backgrounds.
World-class research
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Why?
Because lifesaving treatments are just the beginning. Quality of life depends on a range of factors that aren’t yet fully understood.
Being there for patients
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Why?
Because receiving stem cell treatments and getting back to normal life afterwards can be hard, and right now not all patients are getting the support they need.
Our 2019-22 strategy 'Together, we can save lives' will come to an end this year. Next year, we will report against a new, equally ambitious, strategy.
Our current appeals
Anthony Nolan is proud to have supported many families’ appeals to recruit more donors and raise lifesaving funds. Help us recruit more donors to the stem cell register and raise lifesaving funds.
Making lifesaving matches possible
We still struggle to find everyone their best possible match.
What we're doing about it
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We’re building the next generation of signups to our stem cell register – this is vital work for us, because you need to be between 16-30 to join our stem cell register. We’re working with partners to engage with communities to make our register more ethnically diverse. And we’re promoting the use of cord blood, an important resource that is helping us to ensure all patients have a viable treatment option – especially patients from minority ethnic backgrounds.
We facilitated 1,365 lifesaving stem cell transplants this year, including 128 using cord blood.
Find out more about how we made more lifesaving matches possible in our full impact report.
Esha's story
When we set out to find a bone marrow match for Esha and raise awareness towards the lack of ethnic minority donors on the register, we never could imagine reaching so many people across the world.
Esha’s aunt, a doctor
Libbie meets her incredible stranger
World-class research
Our research has saved and improved thousands of patients’ lives. But we won’t rest until we can save the lives of everyone with blood cancers or blood disorders, and give them the long-term quality of life they deserve.
What we're doing about it
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This year, we led cutting-edge research in the UK and worldwide, working with others to understand what leads to successful transplants and better quality of life for an increasingly diverse population. We’re supporting the development and expansion of innovative treatments for patients, such as new cell therapies. We’re analysing transplant data from over 2,500 transplants to understand the most important factors when looking for a match. Already, this has helped highlight the importance of donor age, so we’re now recruiting younger donors.
The Anthony Nolan Research Institute (ANRI) delivered 40 publications in 2021, with 19 currently published or due in 2022.
Read more about how we are pioneering research in our full impact report.
We’re at a time in scientific research when we could be on the crest of the next breakthrough. The thought that every day we get one step closer to a discovery that could save lives gets me out of bed in the morning.
Dr Neema Mayor, Head of Immunogenetics Research at Anthony Nolan
Being there for patients, for as long as they need
Receiving stem cell treatments and getting back to normal life afterwards can be an isolating and financially draining experience for patients and families. Currently, not every patient feels sufficiently cared for, understood and supported.
What we're doing about it
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We funded more Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and Clinical Psychologists (CPS) to support patients at every stage on their transplant journey. We provided financial support to patients who needed help with the costs of a transplant. We helped patients get treatment faster by rolling out CMV (cytomegalovirus) testing when recruiting donors. And we made sure patients’ voices were heard through All-Party Parliamentary Groups, the UK’s Stem Cell Strategic Forum and our Stop Patients Being Left Behind campaign.
We provided £78,000 to 288 patients between April 2021-March 2022 to help with costs including travel to appointments and essential household equipment – over £10,000 more than last year.
Read more about how we were there for patients this year in our full impact report.
There for Victoria throughout the journey
It feels amazing that Anthony Nolan thinks of the patient at all the different [stages]. You just don’t feel alone.
Post-transplant patient Victoria
Without you, there is no cure
We need more potential lifesavers to join our register, especially people from minority ethnic backgrounds and young men aged 16-30 years old. And we need the ongoing support of our incredible community who power our lifesaving work.
Where to next?
Thank you, you lifesaver
An extra special thank you to the organisations and individuals listed here.
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Everything in this report is only possible thanks to our incredible supporters – from the committed fundraisers and corporate partners, to dedicated researchers and unstoppable volunteers. Together, we will make sure that more people with blood cancer and blood disorders will not only survive, but thrive.
THANK YOU
- Adrian Sudbury Schools Education Trust
- African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust
- The Friends Groups of Anthony Nolan
- Viewers of our BBC Lifeline Appeal BJ
- BGC Partners
- Covent Garden Tenants’ Association
- David and Ruth Lewis Family Charitable Trust
- Dig Deeper: The Construction Industry Adventure Race
- Ellissa Baskind
- The Charitable Trust IIS LegacyFamily and friends of Alice Byron
- Family and friends of Chris Vesty
- Family and friends of Colin McArdle
- Family and friends of Maisie Ryan
- Family and friends of Veer Gudhka
- The Garfield Weston Foundation
- Isaac’s Gift
- The Jack Petchey Foundation
- Janssen - Cilag Limited
- Jemima’s Lifeline
- Lactalis UK & Ireland
- Leukaemia Cancer Society
- Love for Libby – Libby Cotts and family
- Marrow
- Mason’s Mission – Katie Jordan
- Members of the National BAME Transplant Alliance
- Naomi Ayers
- Police Scotland
- Race Against Blood Cancer
- RSM UK Foundation
- Budapest Airport-anna.aero Runway Run
- Rian Harvey
- Ross Mcewen
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
- Shree Kadwa Patidar Samaj (UK)
- Skiddle Ltd.
- Mr Stephen Berger
- Steve Plunkett
- Mrs Susan Amber Gordon
- The Sue Harris Trust
- Takeda UK Ltd.
- Therakos UK
- Tracy Sollis Leukaemia Trust
- The Wolfson Foundation
- Ulster GAA