I’m a 53-year-old African Caribbean man living in the UK.  I was diagnosed with a rare type of lymphoma called Sezary syndrome in 2022.

To defeat this disease and recover my health, I need a stem cell transplant from a donor who shares my same tissue type. Sadly, my own twin brother is not a suitable donor match, and like 75% of Black blood cancer patients, I do not currently have a viable match in the worldwide registry.

You could be my lifesaving hero without even knowing it! I learned that ancestry and ethnicity play a crucial role in finding a match, so my family is working with a nonprofit called Marrow Mates to reach out to my genetic relatives to spread the word about my need for a stem cell donor.  It is extremely hard reaching out like this, but I am doing all I can to find my match.

I am sharing links to two news stories about me.  I’ve also included a link to my Marrow Mates Gift of Life Donor Circle, where you can sign up to join the global stem cell registry and see if you are my match.  All it takes is to swab the inside of your cheek with a cotton swab. When you register, Marrow Mates will send you the swab kit.  That’s all it takes!

My BBC Story: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4n4nex49xpo

My story in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/04/cancer-patient-given-months-to-live-hopes-for-stem-cell-match

Marrow Mates: https://www.marrowmates.org/About-Us/Extended-Family-Donor-Search-Initiative

People of African, Haitian or Caribbean descent and mixed ethnicities are extremely underrepresented on the global registries, so if you or anyone in your family were to find themselves in my situation, it would likely be difficult for them to find a donor too.  We need to increase the number of people of our ethnicity on the global registries to help save lives!

I'm genuinely grateful for any interest and support in sharing my story with other family members. I believe that the more people who are aware of my search, the closer I come to finding a matching stem cell donor and beating this painful disorder.

I hope to hear back from you soon, please feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer them.  If I am unable to reply to you due to health, Marrow Mates will reply on my behalf.

All the best,

John