40 UK Universities ‘Marrow’ societies fundraised a total of £35,580 this year and recruited more than a 1000 students as stem cell donors to fight blood cancer and disorders
By Mireia Jimenez
"Gloved hand with sampling swab" by TheRubinLab is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
‘Marrow’ societies across campuses work in benefit of Anthony Nolan’s charity that operates the largest UK bone marrow register.
The student-led society Marrow Aberdeen is their representative in Aberdeen University.
Hollie, a representative of Aberdeen Marrow, explained to The Gaudie how “this year has been really difficult as everything has had to be online,” however, it was possible to organise various events such as Marroween (Halloween bake sale delivery), Marrowmance (Valentine’s raffle hamper), and the ongoing Aviemore raffle.
Signing up to discover if you could be a donor can be done online here. A swab would be sent to you and then be analysed.
“Only a small less than 1% of people signed up will ever be a match for someone and even less will actually go on to donate, hence why it's crucial we sign up as many people as possible!” Hollie remarked.
When asked about the future, she added: “We plan to set up events outside the University as well to try and get word spread to everyone as it's such an important charity.”
According to Anthony Nolan, about 2,300 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant from a stranger every year which can be donated through a similar process to that of donating blood.
Finally, she added how “being part of a marrow society is genuinely really good fun. It's not just rewarding knowing you’re helping save lives, but it's also good to meet new people in your own marrow group and in groups all over the country!”
