Hungerford leukaemia survivor helps roll out national donor campaign

Lawyer John Mawhood had a bone marrow transplant five years ago and now uses his personal experience to inspire young people to join a life-saving register - the Anthony Nolan ‘Register and Be A Lifesaver’ (R&Be) education programme.
It prompted Newbury MP Richard Benyon to offer his support for the programme at an information session for MPs in Parliament this week.
The event was an opportunity for MPs to meet with R&Be volunteers who deliver inspiring presentations to 16 to 18-year-old students about the importance of bone marrow, blood, and organ donation.
Mr Benyon met Mr Mawhood at the Houses of Parliament to learn more about the programme.
Mr Mawhood said: “The transplant literally saved my life. My donor was from Israel and it can be difficult to find a match. So we’re encouraging people to sign up to be volunteer donors.”
Potential donors provide a saliva sample and are then entered into the database.
Mr Benyon said: “It’s wonderful to hear that such a programme exists to dispel the myths about donation and inspire young people to join the bone marrow, blood and organ donation registers. I’m delighted to hear that John has been helping to raise awareness in local schools and colleges.”
Mr Mawhood, a father of five, said: “The more people volunteer, the better the chances that someone unfortunate enough to develop a blood cancer will have their life saved.
“That was part of the reason for getting together with Richard Benyon, encouraging him and his colleagues to get the message out there.”
R&Be Programme Supervisor Katie Day said: “It’s fantastic have Mr Benyon’s support for our education programme. We’re looking forward to working with Mr Benyon to help us reach students both in his constituency, but also to see R&Be become part of every young person’s education.”
R&Be has reached more than 100,000 students since it was established in 2009. 4,622 young people have joined the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register as a result, and so far three people recruited through R&Be have donated lifesaving stem cells.
The R&Be programme also works in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant to recruit to the blood and organ donor registers. 7,415 have joined the blood donor register and 2,396 have signed up as organ donors.