ACLT

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Jade Beckles will be live on BBC Radio this evening at 8:20pm speaking to Merisha Stevenson about our #333Pledges campaign in partnership with ACLT and Anthony Nolan to encourage more Black people to join the stem cell (bone marrow) register. Stem cell donation is race-specific, and right now, Black people have a much lower chance of finding a match because there's a significant underrepresentation of Black donors on the stem cell (bone marrow) register. Together, we can change that. Tune in on IPlayer or BBC Sounds at 8:20pm here: https://lnkd.in/eXBvzFzv Make your pledge here: https://lnkd.in/eYPShgT7

Let’s be real here. Nobody wakes up one day thinking, "Oh, I want to donate blood sooo bad." But what if I told you that this simple, often overlooked act can literally save lives and improve your own health? Here’s my story. ????I didn’t know that donating blood could be one way to make a life-saving impact without being a healthcare professional. I don’t have a soapy story to explain to you why blood donation has become important for me this year; I have, au contraire, a shameful story. A distant cousin who has sickle cell lived temporarily in my family home about five years ago, and from time to time, he’d have episodes of severe pain. Since I had left home at the time, I did not think I could be helpful from afar. So, I decided to quietly ignore his condition; I never asked any questions nor positioned myself as a confident person to go to if he needed help. And yet, early this year, after seeing the NHS blood shortage amber alert, I gave blood for the first time in March 2024. After donating, I received a report telling me where my blood had gone and that my blood type is a rare one—only shared by 1 in 13 people and regularly used in the treatment of patients with thalassemia and sickle cell disease. This realisation hit me hard. It made me think that back then, one of the best ways I could have supported my cousin, despite the distance, was simply to donate my blood. Today, it also feels like a second chance. Knowing that my donation could help patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia made the experience incredibly rewarding. Since that first donation, I’ve become more passionate about raising awareness about it. Tomorrow, I’m hosting a panel conversation at LinkedIn in collaboration with ACLT on the importance of blood donation, and I’m excited to dive into how this simple act can literally save lives. It’s not just about giving blood; it’s about understanding how vital it is for those in need. Every time you donate, you’re not only saving up to three lives—yes, you read that right—but also participating in a community effort that truly makes a difference. Beyond that, donating regularly can even benefit the donor by lowering iron levels and promoting heart health. I’ve heard it burns up to 650 calories—but don’t rely on it as a workout! ?? Recently, my colleague Derick Gnonlonfoun and I headed to a blood donation center in East London, ready to give the gift of life. Check out the video below to see how it did not go as planned! And hey, if you’ve donated blood before, tell me what motivated you. #blooddonation

Join us in making a life-saving impact this #BlackHistoryMonth Today, we're launching 333 Pledges for 333 Lives - a campaign to address critical health disparities in the Black community by promoting stem cell (bone marrow) donation and asking you to pledge to join the stem cell register: https://lnkd.in/eYPShgT7 In partnership with African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) and Anthony Nolan, we are on a mission to secure 333 pledges to join the stem cell donor register during October. 333 is the average number of stem cell transplants that take place each month in the UK, but not everyone who needs a transplant can find a suitable donor. In the UK, people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage have significantly lower chances of finding a matching stem cell (bone marrow) donor compared to a patient from white, northern European heritage. This disparity costs lives. By increasing the number of people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage joining the register, we can begin to address this disparity. ? What can you do? - Make a pledge to join the stem cell register today: https://lnkd.in/eYPShgT7 - We'll let you know how you can turn that pledge into action and join the stem cell register - Share this campaign with your organisation, peers, colleagues, friends and family - the more who register, the more lives we can help save We think it is important for everyone to pledge to help grow the registers, so no matter your ethnicity we welcome your pledge. ------- This year's #BHM theme is #ReclaimingNarratives. The story of health inequality and underrepresentation is all too familiar in Black communities, but together, we can rewrite it. By pledging today, you can help close this gap and give hope to someone in need, reclaiming the narrative around health disparities in the UK. Please hear below from our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Jade Beckles.

So happy to share this episode of Magical Match. In this episode, I chatted with Beverley de Gale and Orin Lewis, parents of Daniel de Gale, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of six, back in 1993 and was the first black individual in the UK to receive a stem cell transplant six years later. We talked about Daniel’s story and the difficulties they faced as a family in finding him a donor match and we chatted about the need for a diverse stem cell register and for people of all ethnicities to sign up if they can. Our conversation took place earlier this summer and as Sickle Cell Awareness Month was in September, we also spoke about Sickle Cell Disorder and the impact that has on families needing urgent treatment. Bev and Orin started the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust after realising that their son, Daniel’s chances of finding a donor match were one in a quarter of a million. The work the ACLT do is incredible. I hope you enjoy the listen. You can find out more about the work the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust do and Daniel’s story at www.aclt.org It is always such a huge privilege to be able to speak with my guests and share their stories. I hope you find this conversation both interesting and inspiring. Thank you for listening. Please share far and wide. https://lnkd.in/euYesnhG

So happy to share this episode of Magical Match. In this episode, I chatted with Beverley de Gale and Orin Lewis, parents of Daniel de Gale, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of six, back in 1993 and was the first black individual in the UK to receive a stem cell transplant six years later. We talked about Daniel’s story and the difficulties they faced as a family in finding him a donor match and we chatted about the need for a diverse stem cell register and for people of all ethnicities to sign up if they can. Our conversation took place earlier this summer and as Sickle Cell Awareness Month was in September, we also spoke about Sickle Cell Disorder and the impact that has on families needing urgent treatment. Bev and Orin started the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust after realising that their son, Daniel’s chances of finding a donor match were one in a quarter of a million. The work the ACLT do is incredible. I hope you enjoy the listen. You can find out more about the work the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust do and Daniel’s story at www.aclt.org It is always such a huge privilege to be able to speak with my guests and share their stories. I hope you find this conversation both interesting and inspiring. Thank you for listening. Please share far and wide. https://lnkd.in/euYesnhG