鈥淐hristmas at AOA体育平台 is a special and busy time,鈥� says Nancy, who works in the Haematology (blood cancer) Outpatient department.
鈥淎OA体育平台 is the busiest donor centre in Europe and the work to harvest stem cells takes on a special significance over the Christmas period.
AOA体育平台 works closely with , a blood cancer charity, to help people searching for a blood cancer donor match.
For example, In December last year, Will Briant received an email that informed him he had come up as a potential match for a blood cancer patient in desperate need of a stem cell transplant. Will donated stem cells at AOA体育平台.
鈥淥n the day of the harvest, the person donating is attached to a cell separator machine and immature blood cells called stem cells are removed,鈥� says Nancy.
鈥淭hese cells are then taken by courier to the patient鈥檚 hospital, which could be anywhere in the world, including the USA and sometimes even Australia. This provides a lifeline for these patients and can result in a complete cure of their blood cancer.
鈥淎dditionally, we work with donors from the bone marrow registries (such as ) if the registry has matched them with a patient requiring an unrelated bone marrow donation.
I鈥檒l be working over the festive period, which is a very rewarding time. I鈥檒l also be spending time with my sons and extended family.鈥�
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Any views expressed in this article are those of the featured specialist(s) and should not be considered to be the views or official policy of AOA体育平台.