Ian, father of three, recently visited his GP after feeling unwell. He thought he was suffering from a viral infection but was encouraged to submit a blood test. Later that night Ian's GP visited him at his home and advised him to urgently attend hospital. On 29 September 2017, tests proved Ian had an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) a type of caner that affects the white blood cells. This is a very rare condition with about 650 people diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK.

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia. It is the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK but less than half of the UK population are aware of blood cancer issues.

The probability that two people will match is between one in 20,000 and one in seven million. A blood stem cell donation from a genetically similar person can often be the best hope of survival.

Ian said "It's going to be a real challenge, but with six out of 10 blood cancer patients in the UK finding an unrelated matching stem cell donor and Christmas just around the corner we're all hoping for a Christmas miracle. We just need one matching donor."

TO JOIN THE REGISTER: If you are aged 17-55 years old and in good general health you can register for your home swab kit at www.dkms.org.uk.

TO DONATE: DKMS doesn't receive government funding and relies on monetary donations to cover donor recruitment costs. To register one potential blood stem cell donor it costs £40 - please support us in registering more potential lifesavers and support our JustGiving campaign for #IansArmy.

OR

To donate £5, text IANSARMY to 70970To donate £10, text IANSARMY to 70191