THE MP for Stretford and Urmston has backed the expansion of a register to find more teenage bone marrow donors.
Kate Green is backing the Anthony Nolan’s ‘Save a Life At 16’ campaign, in a bid to help the charity save the lives of more blood cancer victims.
The campaign is hoping to persuade the Inland Revenue to include details of the charity's register, when it writes to young people with their National Insurance numbers, in advance of their 16th birthday.
The move is predicated on the fact that teenagers are more likely to be chosen as stem cell donors by transplant doctors. The move could boost the register numbers by up to one quarter.
She said: “It’s vital that young people have all the information about joining the register given to them as this could help save lives in the future.”
Henny Braund, chief executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “Every year in the UK around 2,000 people with blood cancer need stem cell donations from a stranger.
“By agreeing to our proposal, the government can make it easier for people as young as 16 to become lifesavers.”
The charity says 1,062 people in Stretford and Urmston are on the bone marrow donor register.
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