Thursday, July 28, 2011

John Baron MP appeals for young men to join Anthony Nolan stem cell register

MP highlights fact 1600 people need potentially lifesaving stem cell transplant

John Baron MP is calling for young men in Basildon and Billericay to do something special this summer. The MP has joined other politicians in helping to recruit men between the ages to 18 and 30 to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register. Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer. Every day, they use their register to match remarkable donors willing to donate their blood stem cells to people who desperately need potentially lifesaving transplants. However, there is a shortage of young male donors on the bone marrow register.

John said:

“Presently, the Anthony Nolan charity can only find a matching donor for half the people who come to them in desperate need of a lifesaving stem cell transplant. There are around 1600 people in the UK in need of this transplant.”

“We therefore need more young men to come forward as donors and join the Anthony Nolan register. By doing so, these young men will be offering patients the chance of life and a new hope to their families.”

Anthony Nolan can be reached on 0303 303 0303 or by email at Victoria.moffett@anthonynolan.org


Speaking as someone who is alive because of a stem cell transplant, I can only endorse John's call. Donors rapidly replace donated stem cells, it's like giving blood, not like giving up a kidney, and you get to save someone's life.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tragedy in Norway

Our hearts must go out to the people of Norway, especially the relatives and friends of those killed and wounded in the terrible events there.

There is no justification of such mass-murder, none. There would be no justification if Norway was some sort of repressive dictatorship as opposed to one of the most open democracies in Europe. Mass murder of innocents in a deliberate effort to advance a cause is always wrong. When that mass murder extends to children it becomes especially heinous. What has been astonishing is that some moral bankrupts on the internet have been trying to use the events in Norway to make political points. So, we have idiots on the Right muttering about 'anger' caused by politicians supposedly ignoring their pet causes and idiots on the Left almost gleeful that the vicious murderer is a political enemy. Both are contemptible.

All of the evidence in this case is that these crimes were the work of a narcissistic psychopathic lunatic who either worked alone or received very limited support by some other extremists via the internet. Sadly, the world has always had nutcases with an inflated view of their own importance relative to the rest of us. Sometimes they do things like this, but it doesn't change their total irrelevance to any political debate carried on by the overwhelming moral and sane majority. The Norweigans are determined that they won't change their society in response to one evil, crazed fruitcake, and that should be our response as well.

We should have nothing but revulsion for anyone on either the Right or the Left who tries to use these events to advance their pet causes. But they will.

John Baron MP backs campaign to save lives from England’s biggest cancer killer

MP highlights postcode lottery and lung cancer survival rates

As Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, John Baron MP today backed calls to save lives from England’s biggest cancer killer by tackling variations in lung cancer services in England. Your chance of surviving lung cancer depends on where you live in the country, according to a new report from The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation recently launched in the Houses of Parliament. The ‘Explaining Variations in Lung Cancer in England’ report shines a spotlight on the postcode lottery that exists in lung cancer.

John said:

“Someone dies from lung cancer every 15 minutes in the UK. I commend The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s new report which shows that we need to urgently tackle the unacceptable postcode lottery in lung cancer. Everyone deserves to have good quality care, no matter where they live.”

“We need to do more to make sure that people with lung cancer are diagnosed early, when the chances of curative treatment are at their best. I’d encourage everyone to be aware of the signs and symptoms and to go to their doctor if they are concerned. There’s nothing to lose by getting checked out – and everything to gain.”

“And we need to make sure that, when someone is diagnosed, they have a good experience of care, including access to a lung cancer specialist nurse to support them and their families.”

Dr Rosemary Gillespie, chief executive of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said:

“Despite recent advances, lung cancer remains a devastating disease and the most common cause of cancer death in England. Your chance of surviving lung cancer and receiving a treatment which could benefit you should not be decided by where you live in the country. Sadly, it is clear that this is indeed the case and there is significant geographical variation in patient survival and patient access to care and treatment.”
“We hope this report will act as a tool to help bring those areas with a poorer service and outcomes up to the standard of the best, so we can improve the experience of all lung cancer patients and save lives.”
The report was developed using existing data to give a local picture of lung cancer outcomes, services and care.

A full copy of the report is available by visiting www.roycastle.org or calling 0151 254 7200 to request a copy.