For a bone marrow transplant to be successful, the donor's marrow must match the patient's (the recipient's) marrow as closely as possible. But finding an exact match can be difficult. Close relatives, like brother and sisters, are the most likely to be a perfect match. If there are no relatives who have a matching marrow then doctors can go to 'transplant panels'. These are lists of people who have offered their marrow for transplants, and have had their cells 'tissue typed' so that their details can be compared with those of a patient to see if they match.

There is no reason why a donor and a recipient cannot be from different ethnic groups. An Asian could donate to an African Caribbean, or a Caucasian could donate to a Chinese. But you are less likely to find a perfect match when you look among people of a different ethnic background. You may find a match, and if you do there is no reason why the transplant could not be successful, but your chances of finding that match are greater in people from your own ethnic group.

The African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust work closely with the Anthony Nolan Bone marrow registry, and the National blood service. They also assist and support individual patients who may need a donor.