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Stem cell donor urges action after dad's diagnosis

News imageKate Coggan A woman with auburn hair sitting in a hospital bed. She has a needle in her right arm, which is pumping blood with the help of a large grey machine. Photo is a selfie.Kate Coggan
Kate Coggan was inspired to donate by her father's cancer diagnosis

A stem cell donor who signed up following her dad's cancer diagnosis is urging others to follow suit.

Kate Coggan, from Catcott in Somerset, was inspired to donate in March after her father Mike was diagnosed with myeloma, a type of blood cancer.

She expected to wait a long time before a match was found, but it took just 13 days for her to be assigned to help a cancer patient. Coggan described the process as "emotional" and "a privilege".

Stem cell transplants are used to treat some cancers, blood conditions and autoimmune disorders, and can save or extend lives, but only 7% of eligible adults are on the register – meaning some patients don't ever find a donor.

"I'd always wondered 'what could I do?' and then I saw a post about stem cell donation and thought 'why not?' – let's just sign up," Coggan said.

News imageMike and his daughter, Kate. They are standing in front of a hedge. Mike has short white hair and Kate has long auburn hair. She is wearing a blue denim dress and he is wearing a blue shirt. They have their arms around each other and are looking directly at the camera and smiling.
Kate's father, Mike, was diagnosed with myeloma earlier this year

The next stages happened quickly – there were blood tests and a course of medication that boosted Coggan's stem cell count before blood could be taken.

Describing the process of donating, she said: "It was a lot like giving blood, but I was hooked up with both arms.

"The blood comes out of one arm and through this machine, which spins out the stem cells, and then your blood comes back [in] through the other arm."

Coggan added: "I'm assigned to that patient for two years in case they need more [stem cells], but after that I go back on the register.

"It's so worth it. Now it's about raising awareness."

News imageDKMS Bronagh Hughes smiles at the camera. She has thick, curly dark brown hair, is wearing hooped earrings and a high-necked black jumper, and a pendant on a thin gold chain.DKMS
Bronagh Hughes from cancer charity DKMS seconded Kate's call for more donors to sign up

Around 30% of people who need a stem cell transplant never find a match, according to cancer charity DKMS.

Charity spokesperson Bronagh Hughes seconded Kate's call for more people to donate.

"Not everyone finds their matching donor, and for some people that means they don't get the treatment they need," she said.

"Around 7% of healthy people aged 16 to 55 in the UK are signed up, and that's not enough," she explained.

"It was exceptional that Kate was found so quickly – most people who are signed up never get called because it's very unusual to be a match for someone."

"That means we really need everyone who's eligible to sign up to do it, because it's not a given that we'll find someone within the pool."

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