Wirral Hospital Staff Swab to Save Lives During Blood Cancer Awareness Month

As part of September’s Blood Cancer Awareness Month, staff at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust participated in a swabbing event aimed at saving lives by signing more people up to the stem cell register.
 
The initiative was organised in collaboration with blood cancer charity DKMS and Tilbury Douglas, the contractors behind the new urgent and emergency care facility at Arrowe Park Hospital.
 
Held at the Patient Experience Hub in Arrowe Park Hospital, the event encouraged Trust staff, patients, and visitors to complete quick and easy mouth swabs to see if they could be potential matches for people with blood cancer who need a stem cell transplant.
 
“Every swab taken today represents hope — a chance to be someone's lifeline,” said Dr Nikki Stevenson, the Trust’s Executive Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive.

During the event, volunteers helped participants in swabbing the inside of their cheeks to collect cell samples. Analysing these samples is a vital part of matching potential stem cell donors with blood cancer patients through DKMS’s international database. If a match is found, the charity contacts the registered individual to begin the life-saving process of stem cell donation.  
 
For some, this cause is deeply personal. Tom Lewis, a 20-year-old from Bebington, knows the power of a stem cell match first hand. Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teenager, a perfect donor match gave him a second chance at life. “Take the opportunity to help someone because it’s done wonders for me,” he urged.

 While not everyone on the registry will be called to donate, each new registrant represents renewed hope for people ever with blood cancer. In the UK alone, around 2,000 people are currently searching for a stem cell match.  
 
The event also held special meaning for Tilbury Douglas: “Our colleagues have received stem cell transplants, and it saved their lives, emphasising why it is so important for us to raise the profile of this important register” said Martin Horne, Regional Director NW at Tilbury Douglas.

 The swabbing event is a powerful reminder of the impact one person can make. Every new name on the register could mean a second chance for someone diagnosed with blood cancer, reinforcing the importance of awareness and action during Blood Cancer Awareness Month and beyond.