Midhurst crafters join search for stem cell donors

Shaun Graham featured in the Midhurst and Petworth Observer on September 15, appealing for people to register as donors following his cancer diagnosis in March.

The father-of-two loves the countryside and has worked on dairy farms for many years but his life was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. He now urgently needs a blood stem cell donation from a matching donor.

The hub, a non-profit organisation, will be using its second indoor market, at The Old Town Hall, on Thursday, 10am to 1pm, to support Shaun and other blood cancer sufferers.

Vicki Harrison, managing director of The Tall Dog, which started the hub, said: “If you are between the ages of 17 and 55 and are in general good health, please come and register as a potential blood stem cell donor at the Midhurst Hub Market.

“You could be a lifesaving match for Shaun, or anyone else in need of a blood stem cell donation. It is very easy to register and The Tall Dog and Midhurst Hub will be there to help.

“Only around a third of people find a matching donor within their family. Shaun doesn’t even have this chance. As he is adopted, he has no biological siblings and is therefore 100 per cent reliant on an unrelated donor.”

The indoor market, which launched in August, provides local businesses and crafters with the chance to show others what they can do.

This time, the event will also be used to let people know as much as possible about blood cancer, what they can do to help and how they can register as a potential blood stem cell donor.

Vicki added: “We will be able to register people there on the day and then after at our offices at The Tall Dog, Midhurst, on an ongoing basis to try to help where we can to find people matches.”

For many patients like Shaun, a blood stem cell donation is their only chance of survival, but many patients in the UK never find the lifesaving blood stem cell donor match they need.

This is not because a match does not exist, it is simply because there are not enough people registered as donors, according to the charity DKMS.

The Tall Dog is based at Rumbolds Hill and is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.

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