Father in appeal to find blood stem cell donor
A young father from Birmingham is calling out for support to everybody in the Asian community to help save his life. He is appealing for people to register as potential blood stem cell donors with the charity Delete Blood Cancer UK, to help him find the matching donor he desperately needs for his survival, and to be on standby for all others requiring a blood stem cell donation.
Twenty-five-year-old Inderpal Singh has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and has been told that he needs a blood stem cell donation for his survival. A matching donor is being sought for him, and as his heritage is Indian, he is appealing especially to those with a similar heritage to come forward and register to potentially save his life.
As a father of two very young children, Inderpal desperately wants to get better to see his children grow up, and says, “It’s a life saving thing for me. It is going to save my life and let me see my kids grow up.’’
Delete Blood Cancer, who is supporting Inderpal’s appeal, stressed the importance on why the ethnic minority should be registering up to donating stem cells.
Emphasising how easy it is for people to register, Deirdra Taylor, Director of Communications and Donor Relations at Delete Blood Cancer UK, said, “The registration process is very simple and involves filling out a consent form and swabbing the inside of your cheeks to collect cells which are analysed to determine a person’s tissue characteristics. “It only takes a few minutes to go onto the register of potential donors but if you are matched with Inderpal, or someone else in need, it could lead to you giving decades of life to them, and providing them with the opportunity to do all the things they had planned to do in their life.”
The charity has organised a number of donor drives to encourage more people to spend a few minutes to give a saliva swab, which the family say could save someone’s life. These include:
Sunday 7th December at Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, West Bromwich St, Walsall
Saturday 13th December: at Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, West Bromwich St, Walsall, West Midlands WS1 11am – 3pm
Sunday 14th December: Guru Nanak Gurdwara, 629 – 631Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, B11 4LS 10am – 5pm
For more information about the appeal visit deletebloodcancer.org.uk/en or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inderpal-Singh-Bone-Marrow-Appeal
