Blood donors needed
London's hospitals are calling for more blood and bone marrow donors.
Pregnant women are also being urged to donate their placenta as part of a scheme to help seriously ill people with the blood that's found inside.
Why is there a need for bone marrow from ethnic groups?
Some tissue types are more common in certain ethnic groups of the population, meaning that a patient is more likely to be matched with a donor from a similar ethnic background. This also increases the chances of a successful transplant.
The UK population is made up of people from many different ethnic communities. This wide range of tissue types may help to find potential stem cell donors for new patients who need transplants, both here in the UK and overseas.
You are especially needed as a stem cell donor if you are from an African, African-Caribbean, Asian, Chinese, Jewish, Eastern European or Mediterranean community.
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