Appeal for young men to join stem cell register after shock diagnosis

Dan Chapman, 31, from Holbeach is in urgent need of a stem cell transfer after being diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare blood condition.

Now he's running a campaign from his hospital bed in Nottingham to get as many people as possible - particularly young men like him - to join the stem cell register.

"I'm the first to say, and I feel quite bad in saying it, that I never really gave it a second thought until I needed it," said Dan.

"I'm signed up to be an organ donor when I die, butI had never once thought about anything like this."

"What's really useful about my story is a lot of people, when they think of stem cell transplants, think of younger children or older people.

"They don't think of healthy 31 year old."

Dan was a keen runner before his diagnosis, and has even got into the London Marathon next year. He realised something wasn't right after red rashes appeared on his legs after a run.

"I ran 50-60 miles a week, I was healthy, but if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone," he said.

To join the stem cell register you simply fill in your details on Anthony Nolan's website and then return three swab tests in the post. Anyone aged 16 to 30 can join.

"Talking to friends, talking to family, the further the message gets out, the more I realise that other people are on the register and I'm just so glad," said Dan.