In 2015 my friend was diagnosed with a type of cancer I'd never heard of, that I soon found out was a blood cancer. I didn't even realise that you could get cancer of the blood. I then found out that Leukaemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma are all blood cancers, but none of them are called cancer, which I found misleading.

As I found out more, I learnt that there is a stark health inequality.

Blood cancer survival rates are much lower if you are Black, Asian, Mixed or Minority Ethnic in the UK, where just 1-in-5 people find a life-saving match, versus a 4-in-5 chance if you are white European.

The power to correct that imbalance is in YOUR hands.

Signing up to the stem cell and bone marrow register takes 5 mins and only requires a saliva sample gathered with a mouth swap (like a cotton bud).

If you sign up and are matched to a patient, your stem cells or bone marrow, donated in a few hours of your day, could literally give someone years of life with their family, children and friends. That's powerful.

So, I've signed up to this 100km trek because I like extreme-ish challenges, but mainly because I hope it will grab your attention, and that you'll lean in, not just to learn that Myeloma, Lymphoma and Leukaemia are cancers of the blood, but to understand that YOU, yes YOU, have the power to save someone's life, by signing up to the stem cell and bone marrow donor register.

Please donate a few quid to the charity Race Against Blood Cancer who exist to sign more people up to the donor register, having given more than 20 people that extra chance at life over the last 9 years.

All the best, Jacob.

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.