Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Throughout 2014, I have followed the story of a brave and inspirational girl, Margot Martini.  Margot was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of dual lineage leukaemia, exhibiting both Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia & Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in October 2013, aged 14 months old.  Her family & friends, Team Margot, raised awareness of Margot’s plight and that of others like her desperately seeking a blood stem cell donor match.  You can learn more about Margot's story at www.teammargot.com and watch the Swab for Margot appeal video at the link below.

On 27th October 2014, the Anthony Nolan charity gave a special commendation to Yaser Martini, Margot's father, in the category of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) advocate of the year; a testament to his tireless dedication and devotion to saving the lives of those with blood cancer.  Sadly, Margot had lost her fight that morning.
  
Even at such a difficult time, Yaser and his family were still thinking of others and had asked Anthony Nolan to congratulate all the other winners and nominees on their fantastic work, as well as urging them to keep up the fight. 

As a result of Team Margot’s efforts to date, statistically there will be over 500 people who will now have the option of a donor match that could potentially save their life or at least give more precious time for families to share.  Team Margot have also supported charities providing essential care and ground breaking research to improve the success rates of transplants and the lives of all people with blood cancer, including the Anthony Nolan charity. 

I am running my first ever race to raise funds for the Anthony Nolan charity but also as a tribute to Margot and her amazing team.  I am in awe of their dedication and the legacy they have built for Margot - I never had the honour of meeting her but she certainly was a beautiful soul.  RIP Margot.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

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Do something amazing and become a stem cell donor.  You could save a life. If you’re unable to or already have, please encourage Just One More to do the same by sharing the information at www.teammargot.com/how-to-register/

Register. Swab. Save a life.