Over 950 Jewish students recruited as stem cell donors
Jewish Swab Week campaign celebrates record numbers, including an event at JFS where 227 potential donors signed up
More than 950 Jewish students signed up to be stem cell donors during Jewish Swab Week, a record number for the annual campaign, set up by the Sue Harris Trust.
The organisation celebrated a massively successful campaign, held from 6 -13 February.
This year marks the 25-year anniversary of Sue Harris losing her fight to leukaemia. She was tragically unable to find a stem cell donor in time.
Each year, the Trust runs Jewish Swab Week to invite all healthy Jewish teenagers over 16 and young adults to become potential lifesavers.
If someone has a blood cancer, such as leukaemia, then the only chance of saving their life could be a stem cell transplant. But those stem cells have to come from someone with a matching tissue type, which, if they are Jewish, is far more likely to be from someone who is also Jewish.
Thanks to the support of Jewish schools and Jewish societies across the country, Jewish Swab Week 2022 recruited 972 people to the national stem cell donor register – it’s best annual total.
One highlight of this year’s Swab Week was the event at JFS, which recruited 227 potential donors.
This broke Anthony Nolan’s record for the largest school recruitment drive in a decade.
Also during Jewish Swab Week it was revealed that Angus Taylor, a graduate of the University of Warwick, had donated his stem cells after signing up to join the register at a Jewish society event three years ago.
Taylor said: “There is nothing comfortable about having blood drained out of your arm for six hours straight. The doctors did more than enough to put me at ease and, with my brother Jacob at my bedside, the procedure went by in a flash.
“After a few hours’ recuperation, I felt very grateful to walk out of the hospital back to full health. I dearly hope that, with my helping hand, the patient will soon be able to do the same.
“For then, one day, we may be able to meet. Aside from our shared tissue type, I know almost nothing about her at this stage. We will remain anonymous for at least two years, after which she will have the opportunity to get in touch. It would be brilliant if she did.”
Although Jewish Swab Week is now over you can still get involved. For more information contact the campaign on 020 3793 2360 or email natalie@hope.agency.
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