‘This person saved her’: the cancer patients in need of a stem cell donor match

Four in 10 UK patients do not find a match and those from non-white backgrounds find it more difficult

Pete McCleave first heard about stem cells during his sciences degree in the 1990s. I knew about them, I just didn't know what they could be used for," he says. It all sounded very pie in the sky." It wasn't until two decades later when McCleave was diagnosed with myeloma blood cancer that he came across stem cells again. This time, he needed them to save his life.

I was told that really the only chance I have, the best chance I have in seeing beyond the seven years I was given [to live] was finding a stem cell donor match," he explains. His doctor reassured him that it would be easy to find a match because of his white-European background. But almost eight years later, he is still searching.