CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY
Your age, location and current health status are important. Check to see if you can become a blood stem cell donor.
Register as a Potential Stem Cell Donor
Why Join the Registry?
Save Lives
Your stem cells could be the cure for someone with blood cancer.
Quick & Easy
Registration takes just 5 minutes with a simple cheek swab.
Help Your Community
BAME donors are especially needed. Your match could be from your community.
No Cost
Registration and donation are completely free. All costs covered by the NHS.
Understanding stem cell donation
About bone marrow donation
Often the last hope of a cure and simpler than most people think.
The chance of a match
1 in 10,000
to
1 in a million
Most registered donors never get called, because a match is rare. Which is exactly why every extra donor counts.
Often the last hope
A blood stem cell or bone marrow transplant is most often the last hope of a cure for many blood cancers and disorders.
What it treats
Blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma can be treated with a blood stem cell transplant.
Simple to give, hard to match
Donation is almost as simple as giving blood — but finding an HLA-matched donor is the hard part. HLA markers help your immune system tell your own cells from foreign ones.
How it works
Registration is simple
Four steps. Less than five minutes of your time. A lifetime of impact.
1
Register online
Fill out a simple form. No needles, no appointments.
5 minutes2
Receive your swab kit
We mail you a cheek swab kit with clear instructions.
Within 1 week3
Swab & return
Swab your cheek and post it back. All postage prepaid.
2 minutes4
Join the registry
You’re added to the international donor registry.
Done
The science, simply
What are stem cells?
The whole campaign comes down to one remarkable cell. Here’s what it does and why a single donor match can rebuild a life.
Blood stem cells are the body’s blood-making cells. They live mostly in the soft marrow inside your bones.
They’re “unspecialised”, which means one stem cell can do two extraordinary things: copy itself, and grow into every type of blood cell your body needs to survive.
The body carefully balances how many of each cell are made, when they mature, and when old cells die.
- Red cells — carry oxygen around your body.
- White cells — your immune system’s defence against infection.
- Platelets — help your blood clot and wounds heal.
Inside the marrow
So what actually goes wrong in leukaemia?
Your bone marrow makes those master cells and matures them into red cells, white cells and platelets. Normally the whole process is tightly controlled — the right cells, in the right numbers, at the right time.
Healthy marrow
The right cells, in the right numbers, at the right time.
Leukaemic marrow
Immature “blast” cells crowd out everything that works.
Red cells
White cells
Platelets
Stem cells
Blast cells
Leukaemia breaks that control in two ways.
Way one
The accelerator jams
Some genetic mutations jam the accelerator, so cells divide relentlessly and ignore the signals that should tell them to stop.
Way two
Maturation is blocked
Others block maturation altogether, so immature “blast” cells pile up and never become anything useful.
The marrow floods with cells that can’t do their job, which is exactly why the illness shows up the way it does:
Anaemia
With no working red cells to carry oxygen, patients feel exhausted and breathless.
Infections
With no working white cells, the immune system can’t fight illness off.
Bleeding
With no platelets, the blood can no longer clot as it should.
Why this matters here
What it means for blood cancer patients
For people with leukaemia and other blood cancers, transfusions are often essential, not optional. Patients may need repeated transfusions throughout treatment:
Red cells
to treat anaemia
Platelets
to prevent life-threatening bleeding
Plasma
to support the body during treatment
Stem cell transplants also depend on healthy donors joining the registry and falling numbers make suitable matches harder to find, especially for Black, Asian and minority-ethnic patients who are already under-represented. For the Kevin Kararwa Leukaemia Trust, that’s exactly why we champion both blood donation and stem cell registration, particularly among younger and more diverse communities who can help build a donor base that truly reflects the patients who need it.
The crisis is real
Despite 44 million registered donors throughout world, active numbers are declining sharply.
Behind every figure is a person waiting for the one match that fits. Here is what the shortage looks like right now.
70%
Patients rely on strangers
7 in 10 patients must find an unrelated donor to survive — someone they have never met.
40M
Registered donors
The registry sounds large, but active, available donor numbers are falling worldwide.
3 min
Every three minutes
Someone, somewhere in the world, is diagnosed with blood cancer. The clock does not stop.
Ten reasons donor numbers are falling
01
An ageing donor base
Loyal, long-term donors are reaching an age where they can no longer give and younger people aren’t stepping in fast enough to replace them.
02
Busier lives
Packed schedules and competing priorities make it hard to find the time, especially when donating means travel or time off work.
03
Low awareness
Because shortages are rarely visible, many people assume there’s always enough blood or that someone else will give.
04
The lasting effect of COVID-19
The pandemic cancelled sessions and broke long-standing habits. Many donors never returned, and remote working ended the routines that once made city-centre and workplace donation easy.
05
Stricter eligibility
Safety rules rightly protect patients, but recent travel, some medical conditions, low iron, pregnancy, new medications or a recent tattoo can all rule a donor out, shrinking the eligible pool.
06
Fear and misconceptions
Needles, fainting, or the belief that giving is painful or slow still put first-timers off. In reality, a whole-blood donation takes about 5–10 minutes, with the whole visit around an hour.
07
Under-represented communities
Some ethnic communities have historically lower donation rates through low awareness, cultural beliefs, mistrust, language barriers or too little outreach. It matters hugely: patients with conditions like sickle cell often need closely matched blood from donors of similar heritage.
08
Rising demand
Even as donors decline, demand holds steady or grows — complex surgery, cancer treatment, trauma care, blood disorders and transplants all depend on supply. Every donation counts for more.
09
Recruitment that hasn’t kept up
Traditional methods reach fewer people. Younger adults respond to social media, creators and digital campaigns far more than to leaflets or post.
10
Economic pressure
With the cost of living high, many people put paid work and caring responsibilities first, even though donating is completely free.
The diversity gap
Match odds aren’t equal, but they don’t have to stay that way.
Finding a stem cell match needs very specific genetic compatibility. Because markers vary across ethnic groups, patients from minority backgrounds face far slimmer odds.
- Registries lack diversity — most donors are white
- HLA types are more varied in global-majority communities
- Fewer people from minority backgrounds register
- Historical mistrust, low awareness and access barriers
Every registration from an under-represented community narrows this gap directly.
What happens next
If you’re ever the match
The call
Out of thousands on the registry, your tissue type aligns with a patient’s. A coordinator gets in touch.
Confirmation
Further testing checks you’re the best available donor. You can ask any question along the way.
Health check
A thorough check-up ensures donating is safe for you as well as for the patient.
Donation day
Peripheral blood stem cell collection takes a few hours as an outpatient. Bone marrow donation (10% of cases) is under anaesthetic.
Afterwards
Your body replaces the donated stem cells within weeks. Travel, accommodation and lost earnings are covered — donation is always voluntary.
The two methods
How donation actually works
90%
From your bloodstream
Around 90% of donations
- Getting ready
Over the four days before donating, you have injections that gently raise the number of stem cells in your blood. You can learn to give these yourself after a single nurse visit (what most donors choose), or have a nurse give all four.
- On the day
At a specialist centre you relax while connected to a machine — much like giving platelets or plasma. It separates out the stem cells and returns the rest of your blood to you.
- All done
Occasionally you’re asked back the next day so enough cells are collected, the same easy process — and that’s it, you’ve helped save a life.
10%
From your bone marrow
Around 10% of donations
- A short procedure
In roughly one in ten cases it’s best to collect stem cells directly from the hip bones using a thin needle. It’s done under general anaesthetic, so you’re comfortable throughout.
- Short hospital stay
You stay in hospital for up to 48 hours afterwards for monitoring and pain management.
- Recovery at home
Plan for around five days of rest as you recover — your energy may be lower than usual while your body heals.
After your donation
You rest and recuperate while the team keeps in touch to check you’re feeling well. Your body replaces the stem cells that were collected within a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on the method.
How safe is it?
Stem cell donation is considered very safe. As with any medical procedure there’s some small risk and possible temporary discomfort.
Myth vs fact
What people think donating means
Myth
Donation means painful bone marrow extraction from the hip.
Fact
90% of donations are through peripheral blood — very similar to giving blood.
Myth
The process takes weeks and requires the donor to be hospitalised.
Fact
Most donations are outpatient and take only a few hours.
Myth
Donating leaves you in pain for weeks afterwards.
Fact
Most donors describe a few days of flu-like symptoms, or some soreness and bruising, and nothing more.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What are stem cells?
Special cells in your blood that can grow into healthy new blood cells. They are used to treat blood cancers and disorders such as leukaemia, lymphoma and sickle cell disease.
How do you donate stem cells?
There are two methods:
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) — 90% of donations. Similar to giving blood, using a machine that collects stem cells from your blood.
Bone marrow — 10% of donations. Taken from the pelvic bone under anaesthetic.
Does it hurt?
With PBSC you may feel flu-like symptoms for a few days from the injections that boost stem cells. With bone marrow donation you may feel sore or bruised for a few days afterwards.
Who can register to become a donor?
It varies by charity, but generally ages 16–55 and in good general health. Some organisations only accept people aged 17–30, because younger donors give the best outcomes.
How do I join the register?
Sign up online with a donor charity such as DKMS, Anthony Nolan, KKLT or NHSBT.
Will I be called to donate straight away?
Not always. Most people never donate — but if you are a match for someone in need, you could save their life.
Why are BAME donors so urgently needed?
Patients are most likely to match someone who shares their ethnic background. Match chances for many BAME patients remain much lower than for white European patients.
What is a “match”?
A match is when your tissue type (HLA type) closely aligns with a patient’s. This helps the body accept the healthy stem cells.
Is donating safe?
Yes. Donors are thoroughly checked, monitored and supported throughout. Your body naturally replaces donated stem cells within weeks.
Can I back out later?
You can withdraw any time before a patient begins treatment. Once they start chemotherapy to wipe out their immune system, they rely on your donation.
Can I stay on the register forever?
Most registries remove donors at age 60 or earlier, in line with medical guidelines.
Can I donate more than once?
Yes. Some donors are matched with more than one patient over time.
Will I get paid?
No — donation is voluntary. But travel, accommodation and any loss of earnings are usually covered.
Can I meet the patient I donate to?
Depending on the country and register rules, some donors and patients can meet after a waiting period, if both agree.