Friends Launch 200-Plus DKMS Donor Drive for 30-Year-Old With Rare Blood Disease

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 22

More than 200 people attended an Aug. 16 DKMS stem cell registration drive organized by friends of Preston resident Rafiya Sherin, who needs a transplant after being diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia.
The 30-year-old now depends on regular blood transfusions, and doctors told her a stem cell transplant is needed for her to return to a normal life.
Sherin said her diagnosis came only after blood tests, days after EMTs allegedly dismissed her dizziness as dehydration and accused her of pretending to be ill.
DKMS said only about 7% of eligible U.K. citizens are registered as stem cell donors, and just 16% of those donors share Sherin's ethnic background, making a match harder to find.
Sherin, originally from India, said the turnout gave her hope and highlighted the need for greater ethnic minority representation in donor registries.

Sources

Can a young woman survive a rare bone marrow disorder when her ethnic background drastically limits her chances of finding a stem cell donor?

How did a routine case of food poisoning trigger a fatal illness that exposed a critical flaw in the national donor registry?

When emergency workers dismiss fatal symptoms as faking, what hidden medical biases are putting patients' lives at extreme risk?

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