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.
