‘Leeds Marrow’ is the Leeds student-run branch of the ‘Anthony Nolan’ charity. Anthony Nolan were the first charity to compile a bone marrow register of people willing to donate their marrow; students from the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University contribute towards this cause by running the Leeds branch from our own University Union. Leeds Marrow works to add people to the bone marrow donor register in the hope of saving many lives, Eamonn Cudworth is on the committee and has been volunteering for ‘Leeds Marrow’ for the majority of his time at Leeds. Her Campus Leeds spoke to him to find out more about the charity.
Firstly, why did you decide to get involved with Leeds Marrow?
I never really planned to become part of Leeds Marrow. I got an email one day from the faculty and it sounded like a really fun and worthwhile cause to become involved with, so I just decided to go for it. I signed up and decided to volunteer for the charity on a whim, really.
How long have you been volunteering?
I’ve been volunteering and recruiting for about a year now and have been on the committee for about nine months. Being a part of the committee has made it feel even more worthwhile.
What exactly do Leeds Marrow do to help people in need of marrow?
Leeds Marrow are a student run branch of the charity Anthony Nolan. Anthony Nolan was a child who was born with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency which is ultimately fatal unless treated by a bone marrow donation. It was his mother Shirley who originally set up the first bone marrow register in an effort to find a match for her son. Leeds Marrow aims to carry on this legacy by signing up potential donors to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow donor register. The charity hopes to find matches for patients in dire need of bone marrow transplants, such as those suffering from blood cancers and bone disorders.
What have you done personally to help and raise money for the organisation?
As a volunteer for Leeds Marrow there is a lot that I am able to do to help. Firstly I assist at recruitment events to sign up potential donors to the bone marrow register. Secondly, as it is an incredibly expensive process to add to the bone marrow register – it costs £100 to add just one person to the register and there is only a one in a thousand chance that they will actually be a match for someone – fundraising is an incredibly important aspect of the charity. There are also many fundraising events and opportunities such as Tough Mudder, which I completed earlier this year. Tough Mudder is a 12 mile obstacle course designed by ex-special forces; it includes swimming through icy waters, trudging through thick mud and running through wires charged with 10,000 volts which in the middle on November is not much fun! All in all it was tough challenge but I managed to complete it with the help of two other volunteers from Leeds Marrow. Finally I also helped in the revamp of our new website which took us the most of summer.
How important is it that people donate their marrow?
Donating bone marrow is incredibly important. Without bone marrow transplants many people suffering from blood cancers and bone disorders would not be able to survive. Anthony Nolan has in fact helped save over 8,000 lives thanks to providing bone marrow donations. There is still great need for bone marrow donors as only half of the patients in need of a bone marrow donation will actually receive one. Therefore, myself and the other volunteers from Leeds Marrow aim to recruit as many people as we can
How do you persuade people to donate their marrow whilst recruiting? How do you reassure them that it’s safe and worth their time?
To sign up potential donors we visit University Halls and also the unions of both Leeds Uni and Leeds Met. Here we simply approach people and try to inform them of the need for bone marrow donors and how it could be their chance to directly save a life. Although unfortunately there is a common misconception that donating bone marrow is an incredibly painful process whereas in fact it is essentially pain free. Once someone is ready to sign up to the register we check their details to ensure they are able to donate and then we collect a spit sample, which may sound pretty weird but it is in fact used to determine their HLA type, or their tissue type to put it in simpler words. The tissue type is what determines compatibility between the donor and recipient and is vital to ensure successful transplantation.
Do you have any future plans to raise money for the organisation?
Whilst I have no concrete plans for further fundraising, Leeds Marrow have plans to climb the Yorkshire 3 peaks which may be another possibility for further fundraising for me and the charity as a whole. Secondly I may be playing in the Marrow 5-a-side football match on the 10th of March as part of their ‘miles4marrow’ campaign.
And finally are you, or do you plan on becoming involved in any similar organisations?
I have actually applied to the NHS scientist training programme with one of my specialties being histocompatibility and immunogenetics. This means, if my application was successful, I could become one of the scientists who determines the tissue type of a person. This research would help to determine whether or not someone can become a donor, by either donating their organs or even a potential donator of marrow for transplants.
LUU Leeds Marrow: http://www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/clubsandsocieties/volunteering/marrow/
Anthony Nolan: http://www.anthonynolan.org
Image Sources:
1. Eamonn Cudworth
2. Anthony Nolan image: http://www.anthonynolan.org/