The Islington firefighters

FIREFIGHTERS are launching an appeal for stem cell donations after seeing the Tribune’s report on a Highbury woman’s search for a match to save her life.

Brenda McKenzie, 58, has a rare form of blood cancer and we sent out an appeal on our front page last month.

Now the borough’s fire crews are helping to share the message.

Mike Palmer, Islington fire station’s commander, said: “Stem cell matches are closely linked to a person’s race. Unfortunately, donor registration is low in African and Caribbean communities, so we need people to come forward and register.”

Due to a lack of donors, black people have a just 37 per cent chance of finding the best possible stem cell match, while their white counterparts have a 72 per cent chance.

Brenda McKenzie

Mr Palmer added: “We try to support the community as much as possible. Cancer affects all of us – it’s especially important to firefighters as cancer is prevalent in our profession.”

There are more than two million people on the stem cell register in the UK, but none is a match for Ms McKenzie.

“I was told about the firefighters doing this drive, and I thought it was really, really good,” Ms McKenzie said. “I just hope it brings more people to donate and sign up to the register.

“I just want to encourage people and ethnic minorities to come out more. People still think it’s an operation. But, I try to put them straight, it’s not an operation. It’s not getting through enough.

The poster for Ms McKenzie

“It only takes a few minutes, just joining the register, you’d be doing me a favour, and you’d be doing others a favour. Give somebody else a chance. There’s nothing difficult that’s involved, it’s really straightforward.

“It’s just blood that they take. Obviously, if a match is found, they just have to be given a few injections to stimulate the stem cells. And then it’s like giving blood – they take the stem cells out of the blood and give it back to you. You’re not even losing any blood.”

Donating stem cells is a straightforward and, in 90 per cent of cases, non-surgical procedure.

The firefighters have printed off posters with “let’s find Brenda a match” printed at the top, and a QR code that passers-by can scan to join the register. They also plan to do leafleting to encourage people to join.

Ms McKenzie was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called cutaneous T-lymphoma in 2019. She has been looking for a stem cell match since 2021.

Mr Palmer said: “It would be great if we could help find Brenda a match in her home town, let alone all the people globally who could benefit from this simple act.”