Year One Student Doctor Rob Harris will soon be gearing up for the 2022 London Marathon to raise funds for Anthony Nolan, a blood cancer charity that changes the lives of people with blood cancer by raising awareness of the stem cell register. Find out why Rob is running for the charity, and how you can donate to this great cause.
Aged seventeen, I donated 4.72 million stem cells to a patient living with blood cancer. This began my connection to the life-saving blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan (link). Having signed up to the Anthony Nolan register through school, I didn’t think I would ever be contacted but six months later, I received an email to say that I was a match for someone with blood cancer. After a comprehensive medical examination, I was cleared to donate in November 2019. Over two days and eight hours I donated my stem cells. Six months later I donated again to the same poorly patient.
Anthony Nolan is a life-saving blood cancer charity, which aims to make life-saving connections between patients in need and incredible strangers ready to donate their stem cells.
Money raised contributes to growing the international stem cell register, continuing to orchestrate ground-breaking research as well as providing world-class post-transplant healthcare.
With blood cancer being the fifth most common cancer in the UK and most common childhood cancer, running a marathon allows me to put my enjoyment for running together with raising as much money as possible for a cause I am passionate about.
As a charity, Anthony Nolan relies on generous donations to further blood cancer research and carry out life-saving transplants. Whilst donating, all of my expenses were paid for.
As a result, I considered whether it would be possible to try and give back all the money Anthony Nolan had provided to me through fundraising for them. I decided to apply for the 2022 London Marathon through Anthony Nolan and was successful.
On the 2nd October 2022, I will therefore be running the London Marathon for Anthony Nolan with the aim of raising as much money as possible for Anthony Nolan and also to inspire others to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register. With your support, I will be able to achieve this, and contribute to the ground-breaking research and the life-supporting efforts of the Anthony Nolan charity.
Discover more
- Donate to Rob's JustGiving page (link)
- Learn more about the Anthony Nolan (link)
- Find out how you can join the stem cell register (link)