Tell Them Alice Sent You

I think I'm allowed to feel quite pleased that there's been such a positive response to the piece I wrote last week about donating blood for the first time. I did this after witnessing the phenomenal reaction on Twitter to a blog written by Alice Pyne, a fifteen year old girl in England who has terminal cancer.

But it's a double-edged sword. Each time I read the latest additions to Alice's blog, I'm overwhelmed by her joie de vivre. The zest with which she's responded to the opportunity to fulfil her dreams is truly uplifting but I cannot tell whether it's this wonderfully positive spirit or the sadness of her plight that always brings tears to my eyes when I read her words.

In one of her postings, Alice displayed an extraordinary generosity in acknowledging that she is luckier than other children in her position because of the attention her blog has gained. She's right, of course, but it's clear to me that this focus couldn't have found anyone worthier than Alice.

Proof of that is provided by the item at the very top of her wish list - "to make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor". Alice has made this her highest priority even though it's too late for her. She's thinking of other children... some of whom are ill now and others who will face an illness like hers in the future.

This was what inspired me to find out how I could get myself on to the bone marrow register. I'm not there yet but I will be and the more I find out about it, the more I realise that it may be the most worthwhile thing I've ever done.

The maths is simple. On average, the odds of one individual's bone marrow tissue matching another's is around 50,000/1. Not good. The best way of improving the chances of those whose lives could be saved by a transplant is to massively increase the pool of potential donors. If enough people made their bone marrow available, it could become possible to find a match for every patient who requires this treatment to help them recover from a life-threatening condition.

That's what makes the bone marrow register so vital... the more people who are one it, the better it is.

So far, around thirty people have tweeted me to say they have booked an appointment to give blood for the first time and many of these are endeavouring to get themselves on to the bone marrow register.

I'm immensely proud of the small part I've played in their decision but I'm well aware that it's Alice who really deserves the credit. That's why I'm urging each person who feels sufficiently moved by her courage to take these steps to make sure that they 'Tell Them Alice Sent You'.