You’re My Type

‘If we count the number of patients who die because there was no compatible donor, that’s about 3,000-4,000 per year in Russia. That’s the reality.’ Aleksey Maschan, director of Russia’s boner marrow donor register, provided us with shocking statistics.

Blood diseases like leukaemia and certain types of anaemia are only treatable through bone marrow or stem cell transplants. Sometimes relatives can’t act as donors, so many patients rely on the kindness of strangers. But finding a match is almost always extremely difficult.

On World Blood Donor Day, we post a documentary, You’re my Type: The Donor Lottery. Watch it for the stories of happy endings, heartbreaking losses and life-changing encounters.