Trinity Mirror is collaborating with the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity in a bid to highlight case studies of donors and people who have survived the illness.
The Anthony Nolan Trust was established in 1974 when Shelia Nolan’s three-year-old son was diagnosed as needing a bone marrow transplant.
At the time there was no register to match non-related people.
As part of the collaboration, human interest stories will run across the Daily Mirror and several of Trinity’s regional titles in a bid to raise funds for the charity.
Trinity Mirror decided to become involved in the project after being inspired by former Huddersfield Examiner journalist Adrian Sudbury who died of leukaemia in 2008.
Sudbury won Digital Journalist of the year at the Regional Press Awards shortly before his death for his Baldy’s Blog.
The Daily Record, Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo and Birmingham Mail are among the newspapers planning to take part in the enterprise.
Sudbury campaigned tirelessly in the weeks before his death in a bid to encourage more people to consider becoming bone marrow donors. He encouraged more than 4,300 young people to consider becoming donors.
Neil Benson, Editorial Director, Regionals, said: “Over the past ten years, our regional titles have worked in a co-ordinated way with many leading charity organisations, including the Prince's Trust, Childline and the NSPCC, but this is the first time a partnership of this type has spanned our regional and national titles.
“The human stories are truly inspiring, from the Nolan family themselves to donors, recipients, doctors, nurses and volunteer helpers right across the country. We're looking forward to producing a really compelling campaign that only our unique mix of titles and web sites can offer.”
Richard Davidson, director of communications with Anthony Nolan said Trinity Mirror’s newspapers have been covering stories on the need for more donors for the past 40 years.
“Working with Trinity Mirror today gives us a unique and powerful opportunity to tell our story to a combined audience of millions, enabling us to grow our lifesaving register and carry out world-class research into blood cancer at a crucial time in our history. By choosing to support Anthony Nolan in its 40th year, Trinity Mirror readers and staff are doing something amazing; they are helping save lives.”
According to figures released by the charity, one person is diagnosed with blood cancer every 20 minutes in the UK, with only 37 percent finding a suitable match from within their family.
Only one-in-two patients finds a suitable match although white northern Europeans have a 90 percent chance of a match.
This falls to just 40 percent with people from black, asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.
To show your support, text MIRR99£5 or MIRR99£10 to 70070, or visit www.justgiving.com/Mirror-AnthonyNolan.
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