Does anyone know about leukaemia and stem cell/bone marrow transplants?

[WendyWhale]

My dads good friends son has been diagnosed with leukaemia and they are currently searching for a match so he can have a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.

I've signed up to be a donor (unlikely I'll be a match for him but who knows, and if not I hopefully can help someone else) but what I'm finding hard to find out about is what it takes to be a match.

His mum spread the word on Facebook to try encourage people to sign up to possibly find him a match and she said doctors are looking for a match across the UK, Europe and even the USA. Is this unusual?

I'm wondering if it's always so difficult to find a match and what exactly they're looking for.

Any information would be fantastic!

I went onto a register after my friend had a stem cell transplant.

She had her own stem cells taken and treated but after reading about the lack of donors, I signed up.

Have you looked online as there is some great advice

Is your friend's son mixed race at all because often it is harder to find suitable donors?

My brother in law (now 40) has a bone marrow transplant at 11. His came from his younger brother who was the best match (brother was 8 at the time). His parents and other two older brothers (including my OH) were not matches.

Thank you for your posts!

He isn't mixed race no, I was surprised to hear they are searching for matches for far and wide.

Very interesting Tronkmanton, I would love to know what it's based on but the websites I've looked on don't seem to give enough information!

I have recently had to take myself off both blood donation and bone marrow registers because I have been diagnosed with leukaemia (CML). The new(ish) targeted drugs are working (so far, fingers crossed, and test to see if I am fully in remission early next year). So as things stand, I am not likely to need a transplant, but I’ve recently spent a lot of time in clinics with people who do.

They’ll firstly look for a familial match. I think you have to be adult-sized to donate (all to do with volume) but normal age limits don’t apply when assessing close family.

If none, then yes they will call as far and as wide as they need to (including internationally) for a match. Testing can happen where potential donor lives. They’d almost certainly) need to be flown over here for the actual donation:

The more people on the registers the better.

I really hope a match is found for your DDad’d friend’s DC. It can put him into full remission for years, possibly decades.

I can’t donate now, but I’m persuading my DC to sign up as soon as they are 17

Hi iVampire, I'm sorry to hear that you're going through the same thing. I do hope that your treatment is working, fingers crossed you will be in remission! It must be difficult to be waiting to hear a result as important as that

His son is only 18 so it was quite a shock, I don't know him that well personally but if there's even a chance I could be a match I want to be tested. I'm sure I can help someone else if not. It is a small sacrifice that would mean the world if I were in that position.

I've been reading up on it and it's about tissue types, I'm wondering if he has a rare type or whether there are so many