Producing this week’s show affected many people in The Dolor Factor team. It made us realise we knew little about what it meant to donate blood – and although we knew it would help someone, we felt ashamed that none of us had never seriously considered being on the blood register.

Our guest this week, from the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), Beverley De-Gale OBE, explains what people should consider and how they can help – no matter where you live.

ACLT Mission

ACLT is a charity committed to helping provide hope to patients living with blood cancer and other illnesses where a matched donor (stem cell, blood or organ) is required to save a life.

Their Story

In 1999 Daniel De-Gale became the first black individual in the UK to receive a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. As a direct result of the transplant and the regular blood transfusions he received, Daniel lived a happy life, finally free from blood cancer for several years. However in October 2008, Daniel was taken from us at the age of 21 as a result of multiple organ failure. This was due to complications with his health having received too many years of toxicity from chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments whilst waiting for a matching donor to be found.

After Daniel passed away Beverley and Orin made a conscious decision to continue the work of ACLT, keeping Daniel’s legacy alive and saving many more lives in his name.

For more information visit www.aclt.org

Pictured: Beverley, Daniel and Orin