Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK’s 2023 highlights

Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK’s 2023 highlights

It’s been a busy year for blood cancer research charity, Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK (LMRUK), which is celebrating the incredible support from staff, volunteers and fundraisers who enable the charity to continue its vital work.

LMRUK is committed to educating people on the common symptoms of blood cancer to encourage earlier diagnosis, as well as funding specialist research projects to advance vital blood cancer knowledge and understanding of the cause, diagnosis and treatments.

The charity also offers a cord blood banking service to expectant parents which allows them to bank their newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells for future use, if needed. People who have a history of cancer in the immediate family, receive benefits or universal credit, or have a family member with a medical condition which can be treated through stem cell therapies, can be eligible for part or full funding to use this potentially life-saving service.

Earlier this year, LMRUK joined forces with Smart Cells International – its new cord blood storage partner. Smart Cells is part of the FamiCord Group, the biggest cord blood bank in Europe, and will be working with families using the Model Cell Biobank to safely procure and store their baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells.

This year LMRUK awarded its highest ever grant funding of £57,500 to support two projects exploring and examining the causes of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and Myeloma to help in the fight against blood cancer.

Blood cancer is the 5^th most common cancer in the UK and over 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. To educate people on the symptoms to look out for to encourage earlier diagnosis and treatment, LMRUK produced an informative downloadable poster for people to print and share with family, friends, colleagues, and local community groups.

The charity also actively takes part in national awareness days including Myeloma Awareness Month in March, Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September and World Cord Blood Day in November by sharing key facts and statistics, as well as stories from people directly impacted by blood cancer.

An average of 33% of the charity’s funding comes from individual donations and fundraising events, highlighting the reliance on the generosity of supporters.

From skydives to kiltwalks and marathons, there has been a variety of fantastic fundraising events this year from LMRUK’s fundraisers, including the Margot family from Hertfordshire, who climbed the Yorkshire Three Peaks in memory of Grayham Margot – a beloved husband, dad and granddad who passed away in August 2022.

The Margot family has been named the charity’s ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ for 2023 after raising a phenomenal £14,000 for LMRUK!

Dr Joanna Tilley, Operations Director at LMRUK said:

“Wow, what a year it has been! It’s great to look back at everything that we’ve achieved thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters and fundraisers – without them, our work wouldn’t be possible.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can to beat blood cancer once and for all, and we hope people will be encouraged to join our remarkable community in the new year to help us protect the next generation from this awful disease.”

To find out more about LMRUK and the work they do, please visit: https://lmruk.org/. Or to discover all the ways you can get involved and support the charity, visit: https://lmruk.org/fundraising/.