They say “no news is good news” and, depending on your perspective, they could be right. At every turn Covid-19 is dominating our lives (with new rules having come into force on Wednesday), and the media is full of facts, figures, graphs and predictions pushing the prolonged and arduous Brexit negotiations into the background.
And, to cap it all, in amongst all the confusion as to who is in what tier, who can go where, who can do what, and what happens next, Christmas is also now just around the corner.
What to buy, where to get it, which shops are open, can I get it delivered, will they like it, can I afford it, do I send anything this year, will they understand if I just send a card? These questions, and many more like them, could start to dominate our thoughts.
Christmas doesn’t have to be a time of stress and pressure and, yes, undoubtedly it is going to be different for all of us this year, but just take five minutes to read the following article as, in amongst all the issues we face this year, there are some amazingly positive news stories to share which help to put everything into perspective.
What would I really like for Christmas ?
A story about a real life angel, Jess Angell in fact – a Rye resident, who in her own words and with illustrations by her husband David, gives us all something to think about and reflect on.
“I was asked the other day by a family member what I would like for Christmas. I don’t need any presents and, after the year we have had, I was thinking of asking them to donate to charity in my name.
“I recently found out that a good friend of mine needs a bone marrow transplant. I did my research and, although I can’t be tested specifically for her, I can register and maybe someone else can benefit from my blood stem cells.
“So I went on to DKMS.org.uk and registered to be tested. It only took a few minutes to put in some details, and a few days later I got a testing kit through the post – three swabs and a prepaid envelope for me to send them back in.
“By being tested to join the stem cell registry I am then on standby to be matched and potentially save the life of anyone with a blood cancer or blood disorder who needs a blood stem cell donation.
“After registration I may be approached by DKMS with a request to consider donating my bone marrow, blood stem cells or other easily replenishable blood tissue to help a suffering patient, in the UK or elsewhere, with an urgent medical need. Should a potential match be identified, further details will be discussed with me and I may choose to refuse to go ahead at any time without giving a reason and without any negative effects for me whatsoever.
“So all it has cost me is only a few minutes on a computer and a few cells from inside my mouth to be a possible amazing gift for someone in need. If this has inspired you to register, please go to DKMS.org.uk and see if you are able to do this amazing thing too.
“It is the season for giving after all so why not give the gift of life? “
Image Credits: David Angell , Jess Angell .
Done and thank you for highlighting this. Registration took a couple of minutes.
I’m fast approaching middle age and had assumed I needed to be under 30 to donate – not the case apparently!
Same. Thanks so much for this. Well done Jess and David
Interesting article and giving easy access to the web page to register… which can encourage people to look into the idea of helping.
But I could not see medical reasons not to register in the first place.
I googled who can’t register..and found that only 18 – 55 years old can register..
Then a list of conditions that preclude the medical safety of donation of either blood or bone marrow.
But people who are not in that age bracket can always help with fundraising..
What a very thought provoking story Nick! It makes you think about what is really important in this time of GIVING!