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Dan Snow in bone marrow plea after visit to child ward
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor14.11.08
HISTORIAN Dan Snow today revealed how a visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital inspired him to become a bone marrow donor.
The television presenter and son of former newsreader Peter Snow said the plight of children needing transplants spurred him to join the register.
Snow, 29, signed up with the Anthony Nolan Trust soon after his trip to the children's hospital to see his sick nephew last year.
Snow, who won a Bafta for TV series Battlefield Britain, told the Evening Standard: "I've seen children there [Great Ormond Street] with all sorts of serious conditions who are waiting for bone marrow transplants.
"I was incredibly embarrassed that I had not heard about the register. But it's such an easy thing to do, like giving blood. Now I just wait to see if I can provide a match with anyone.
"Other people should sign up to this because it's not that invasive.
"I'm not in a high-need group - what they're after is donations from ethnic minorities."
Snow's appeal marks the Anthony Nolan Trust awareness week which starts on Monday. There are 16,000 cancer patients worldwide in need of a bone marrow transplant. There may be just one person who could provide the tissue type match.
Registering involves giving a blood sample and results are stored on a confidential database until the details are needed.
Snow, an Oxford rowing blue, lives in west London and recently presented the Emperor Hadrian documentary on BBC2.
●A charity shop is selling memorabilia of famous names in aid of Great Ormond Street.
Customers at Ex Owned in Great Portland Street will be able to buy items including Dr Marten boots signed by Oasis and a rugby shirt signed by the England squad. The sale is from 18 November to 22 December, and items can be purchased online.
Reader views (1)
I joined the Anthony Nolan register a year or so ago. Nothing to fear and straightforward. I hope one day that I will come up as a match and be able to save someone's life...that would be pretty cool. I don't nderstand why more people don't do it?
- Dominic King, High Wycombe UK
