A RELIGIOUS celebration in Nottingham this year will be supporting members of the Asian community to join the bone marrow register in a bid to beat blood cancer.
The organisers of the city's Sikh Vaisakhi celebrations on Saturday April 13 will also be encouraging people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.
Asian people are underrepresented on the register – and as a result only have a 40 per cent chance of finding a match.
Sundeep Soor, who is helping coordinate the city's Vaisakhi celebrations, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for people from the Asian community to redress the imbalance of Asians on the bone marrow register by signing up. In doing so you're increasing the chances of saving a life."
Gulshan Noorani, from Anthony Nolan charity, said: "To join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register you just have to provide a small saliva sample and fill in a short form.
"Ninety per cent of the time, donating bone marrow involves a simple process that's very similar to giving blood.
"An Asian person needing a transplant has only a 40 per cent chance of finding a match because there simply aren't enough Asian donors on the bone marrow register.
"By joining the register at events like this one, you could be the lifesaving match for an Asian person whose last chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant."
The event takes place at Nottingham Road Gurdwara on Saturday April 13 from 10am until 2pm and 6pm until 8.30pm.
If you're unable to attend the event, but would like to join the bone marrow register, you can also sign up online at www.anthonynolan.org.
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