Tasneem inspires Leicester to sign up!
DKMS volunteer reaches out successfully to South East Asian community and beyond.
Leicester-based mother Tasneem Ali and her team of volunteers successfully signed up 175 people to the stem cell register on 8 October at a special evening event held at Highcross shopping centre in Leicester. This bettered their total of 168 people signed up at a similar event last year.
Tasneem – who is also a GP and committed DKMS volunteer – has very personal reasons for supporting DKMS, and enabling people from the South East Asian community to make informed choices about joining the register. She first became aware of DKMS when her own son Yusuf, now 16, was diagnosed with acute leukaemia five years ago; also becoming aware of other patients searching for donor matches for lifesaving stem cell transplants.
Raising the chance of finding stem cell matches
She says: “I felt terrified at the possibility of needing a stem cell transplant for Yusuf. Being from an Asian ethnic background the chances of finding a match significantly reduces. I have witnessed the desperate situation families have to face whilst anxiously waiting for a match within a time sensitive period. If, God forbid, Yusuf ever needed a transplant I didn’t want to feel threatened by those poor statistics. Leicester being an ethnically diverse city provides opportunity to raise awareness of this and encourage people to sign up to the stem cell register.”
Students based in Leicester turned out in force to sign up at the Highcross event, where attractions included a DJ, food and evening shopping opportunities. Tasneem was once again be supported in signing people up to the stem cell register by local Islamic Relief volunteers.
The urgent need for diverse donors
People of South Asian heritage are currently under-represented on the stem cell register. This means someone of South Asian heritage who needs a stem cell transplant faces longer waits to find a compatible donor and, tragically, may even die whilst waiting.
DKMS spokesperson Mahima Mathur says: "We’re so grateful to Tasneem for all she has achieved, and for all that our amazing DKMS volunteers do for us. Tasneem's success is an inspirational reminder that you could be the perfect match for someone in need of a second chance at life, so why not register today?
