Eastbourne Teen Urges More People To Join Stem Cell Donor Register

A teenager from Eastbourne is encouraging more people to join the stem cell donor register after a life-saving transplant helped her battle a rare blood disorder.

New figures from blood cancer charity DKMS UK show that just 2.9 per cent of eligible people aged between 16 and 55 in the East of England are registered as potential stem cell donors, below the UK average of 3.1 per cent.

The charity is urging more people to sign up, warning that many blood cancer patients rely on stem cell transplants as their best chance of survival.

One of those patients was 13-year-old Millie Fairley from Eastbourne, who was diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia shortly after her 13th birthday.

With no suitable donor match found within her family, doctors launched an international search to find a stem cell donor.

After months of uncertainty, matching donors were identified and Millie underwent a transplant thanks to a donor from the United States.

While she continues her recovery, Millie is now sharing her story in the hope of encouraging more people to join the register and potentially save a life.

Blood cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the UK, with someone diagnosed every 14 minutes.