Your stories

Russell Mills

Russell Mills - known to friends as 'Rusty' - is a father of two boys who loves life and the odd round of golf. But three years ago, the 45-year-old from Partington was fighting a life-threatening bone marrow cancer.

Drugs, chemotherapy and even stem cell treatment had been tried without success. It was then that Russell and his wife Sarah were told he would almost certainly die unless a suitable bone marrow donor was found.

But not any donor would do. Rare blood types amongst black and Asian people mean that it’s much more likely to find a match from the same racial group.

Appeals were made to Manchester’s black community until, after a three year wait, their prayers were finally answered.

"It was a huge, huge relief," said Russell. "I was a bit anxious at first because we didn’t know if they were going to go through with it because that had happened a couple of times before.

"But then we got the phone call: 'you're coming into the Christie for your transplant'. and that was so good to hear."

Donor: Eastenders actress Pooja Shah

Donors

A number of rare blood types and conditions such as Sickle Cell Anaemia and Thalassaemia are prevalent in the South Asian, black African and black Caribbean communities.

And multiple myeloma, the bone marrow cancer that affected Russell, is twice as common in Afro-Caribbean people than in the general population.

The problems is: less than 3% of donors are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant said: “All of these factors show just how important it is for people from all communities to come forward and give blood so we can continue helping those in need.”

VIP

Keen to give something back, Russell now works for the NHS as a driver in Stockport.

The campaign to inform and recruit potential donors comes to Manchester at a special comedy night called ‘I am Slim’ at the Dancehouse Theatre on Oxford Rd (Sun 3 May, 7pm).

"This is the message," said Russell. "You can be a hero: you can help somebody, you can save someone’s life. You may not even see them but you can really help."

Giving blood

There are two permanent blood donor centres in Manchester at:

Plymouth Grove Centre
Plymouth Grove
Manchester
M13 9LL

Norfolk House Donor Centre
Norfolk House
Brown St
Manchester
M2 1DW