Sue Harris campaign expands stem cell donor testing nationwide

A communal stem cell donor campaign that celebrates its 30th anniversary this year is offering its services to other minorities in the UK.

The Sue Harris Campaign, founded by the late Sue Harris and her friends in 1993, has played a major role in the worldwide effort to recruit Jewish stem cell donors. It is now delivering its annual Swab Week model to other minority ethnic communities across the country.

In a UK first, the Sue Harris Trust has assembled a coalition of organisations to hold a pioneering town-wide Swab Week from 23-27 January in Luton, where more than 150 languages and dialects are spoken and over half the town do not identify as white British.

Non-white blood cancer patients are at a major disadvantage as 70% of all registered stem cell donors are white, even though 88% of the world’s population isn’t.

A fortnight later, from 6-10 February, the Sue Harris Trust will hold a larger than usual Jewish Swab Week, for 16 year olds and over, in eleven schools in London and Manchester, as well as seven seminaries and yeshivot in Gateshead.

Natalie Deller, coordinator of the Sue Harris Trust, said: “Sue’s campaign has played a major role in improving the situation for Jewish patients with blood cancer and our annual Jewish Swab Week continues to help replenish the supply of vital Jewish stem cell donors.

“Now, with the Luton Swab Week, we’re proud to be delivering our recruitment model to help other ethnic minorities improve the situation for blood cancer patients in their communities.”