24 hours and already 108 people have signed to help improve the odds for people suffering blood cancer in the U.K. I really can't thank you enough. Please keep sharing the petition so we can attract even more of you wonderful people! As you know, we began this petition because we desperately want to help our friend, Ruby. In October, Ruby cancelled a play date between my daughter and her two children (Daniel, 2, and Sofia, 1 in February) because she had been feeling unwell and was going to the GP about a worrying lump. By January, we were looking for a stem cell donor to save her life. That’s how quickly her life changed. Ruby, 37 years old, originally from El Salvador and now living and working in London, was diagnosed with a complex form of blood cancer, Acute Lymphoblastic Lympho-Leukaemia. She’s soldiered through two rounds of intensive chemotherapy in hospital. At times she has been unable to see her children because of the combination of toddler colds and a compromised immune system – she heard her daughter say ‘Mama’ for the first time through Facetime. Throughout it all she and her husband Sam, who she only married 3 years ago, have been really positive but now she really needs that stem cell donation. Initially hopes were high that Ruby’s brother, Juan, would be a match for her but it soon became clear that it would be more complicated than that. Siblings have only a 30% chance of being a match. That's why things like cord blood donation and adults registering for stem cell donation - a really easy process involving a simple form and two cheeks swabs via www.dkms.org.uk - are so important. Around 60% of those searching for a match won't find it - those from Black, Asian, mixed or other minority ethnic backgrounds (like Ruby from Latin America) have a less than 20% chance. This is so unfair. Ruby has become passionate about letting people know about the lack of diversity on the register and improving the chances of all people. She has always been passionate about helping others (both she and her husband are social workers) and this is just one more example. She would encourage any and everyone to sign up. Often people are stopped from signing up to the registry because they think that the process of donation will be painful. In reality, 90% of the time, the process is similar to blood donation. Every day for 4 days, you would receive an injection of medication which increases the number of stem cells in your blood. You are then connected to a machine which separates the stem cells from your blood. The process does not even involve an overnight hospital stay. If you haven't already, please watch Ruby's story at www.registerforruby.com and share far and wide. If you are between 17-55 and in relatively good health, please register with www.dkms.org.uk or at one of our Register for Ruby events. You really could save a life.