Nassar Mahmood was diagnosed last year with anaplastic anaemia which is a condition that inhibits the body from producing bone marrow.
The charity champion is in dire need of a blood stem cell donor with matching tissue type. He has issued a desperate plea for the public to help save his life.
Medics are predominantly keen to be contacted by donors of South Asian heritage, akin to 55-year-old Nassar’s.
People assembled on the streets of Birmingham, at the Bordesley Centre on Stratford Road in the pursuit for a donor for Nassar. They had the inside of their cheeks swabbed to find out if they are a match.
The Birmingham man was involved in many animated activities before he was diagnosed with the illness. He was a passionate swimmer, hiker and charity champion, receiving a “Dedication to Community Award” from the Community Foundation Charitable Trust in 2015.
Nassar, from Burney Lane, is presently too sick to speak but Joe Hallett, senior donor recruitment manager at Delete Blood Cancer UK, said: “Registering as a potential blood stem cell donor only takes a few minutes but it could lead to you giving decades to someone else.
“It could lead to you saving Nassar’s life, or the life of someone else in need of a blood stem cell donation for his or her survival. Please take the time to do it as it could be one of the most important things you ever do.”
Prospective donors can also register online in five minutes, completing a simple procedure. A cheek-swab kit allows volunteers to carry out their own tissue test, which will be sited on the database.
