Formby based STEMCELLSCOUSERS raise £35,000
Formby based STEMCELLSCOUSERS founded in 2015 by brothers Kevin and Tony Dunne after Kevin’s wife was told she needed a Stem Cell transplant to survive her Leukaemia. None of Marys siblings proved to be a matching Donor. Statistically you only have a 25% chance of finding a matching Donor from within your family.
The Stem Cell Transplant Department at the Royal Liverpool Hospital then turned to the Anthony Nolan Charity to find a matching Donor and after a worldwide search found the only matching Donor in the USA. Mary underwent her successful transplant in October 2014 and started the long journey back to health.
The brothers were so grateful to the Anthony Nolan and the Stem Cell Transplant Department at the Royal Liverpool Hospital they decided they wanted to give something back, so the STEMCELLSCOUSERS were born. With the help of a few friends and some family members they soon started to carry out supermarket collections and help out at Donor Drives.
On the 26th May the STEMCELLSCOUSERS held a combined collection and Donor Drive at TESCO in Formby which raised £423.00 for the DKMS.org Blood Cancer Charity taking their total raised so far for the three charities they now support to £35.009.00.
The donor drive was held for Kirkby dad of two very young kids, 32yrs old Richie Bollard who desperately needs a Stem Cell Donor to survive his very rare and aggressive Blood Disorder called Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH ). Usually only one adult a year in England is diagnosed with this. Richie’s aunt Kathy Bollard who is a twitter follower of the STEMCELLSCOUSERS contacted Kevin in February asking for help to find a donor after Richie who has been hospitalised since 26th November was told he needed a Stem Cell Transplant.
Kevin then started the #Register4Richie appeal on Twitter were Stemcellscousers have over 1900 followers around the world. Some of Richie’s work mates at British Gas got together with Kevin and the first Donor Drive was carried out at Crosby Cricket Club when 109 Donors were signed up with the help of Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson who also signed up to the register on Good Friday.
The Tesco Formby event signed up 56 new Donors and again was attended by Bill Esterson who now along with Rosie Cooper MP for West Lancs are supporting the lifesaving work of the StemCellScousers Kevin would like to say a massive Thank You to Nikki Benson the Community Champion and Gary Landry at Tesco Formby for the fantastic help they gave to make the event possible and especially to Nikki who signed up to the Donor Register, and all the customers who gave so generously. The StemCellScousers have now signed up 423 new donors to the register at events they have organised in the last year and created a huge spike in online registrations from the #Register4Richie Twitter Appeal. Kevin is urging anyone who is fit and healthy to register online if you are 16-30 yrs visit www.Anthonynolan.org or 17-55 yrs www.DKMS.org.uk it only takes two minutes and you could save someone’s Life.
Kevin and the StemCellScousers with Richie’s mother and father Collette and Richard senior who attended the recent event will be back in Tesco Formby on Saturday 7th July from 10-4pm with the RCHARITY from the Royal Liverpool Hospital raising much needed funds for the new hospital Kevin is appealing for more volunteers to help out on the day.
If anyone can spare three hours to help he can be contacted by email: kevindunne2@googlemail.com
