Telecoms manager and father, Cecil from Rochdale, hopes the appeal will give him a second chance at life.
He is working with charity DKMS to raise awareness after being diagnosed with secondary myelofibrosis, a serious form of blood cancer.
Cecil Henry said: “As a father, I feel like I still have so much more to do.
“My friends and family are worried for me, but more than anything, I want to be around for my son.
“I’m doing relatively well at the moment, but this is a progressive condition.
“The reality is, at some point, I will need a transplant, which is scary to think about.
“I don’t want to get to that moment and then have to wait years to find a match, so I’m getting the word out now, while I’m well enough.”
Only one in three patients finds a donor match within their family.
None of Cecil’s relatives is a match, meaning he must rely on a stranger who has joined the stem cell donor register.
Currently, just seven per cent of the eligible UK population is signed up to the register.
Cecil said: “My family are from Jamaica, and unfortunately, people with Black Caribbean heritage have a harder time finding a match.
“It’s a big motivator or me to get my story out there and do what I can.
“I want to break down that barrier for myself and for other people.”
Cecil said: “For someone like me, finding a match isn’t straightforward.
“If I were from a white background, the chances would be much higher.
“That’s why it’s so important to get more people from Black communities to register.
“I’ve learned that a lot of people assume someone else will step forward, but it doesn’t work without action.
Anyone aged 16 to 55 and in general good health can join the register by ordering a free swab kit from here.
Cecil said: “Someone out there could be a match for me, or for someone else in my position.
“For a person to do that – to help someone they don’t even know – is truly incredible.
“That kind of generosity is something really special.”
Most stem cell donations are non-surgical and similar to giving blood platelets.
At any one time, around 2,000 people in the UK are waiting for a stem cell match.
