She said: Our friends and family in London and Bristol have rallied around, asking what they can do to help, and already at least twenty of them joined the Anthony Nolan donor register straight away. Any one of them could be a match for someone like Mike who needs a donor. It's so easy and straightforward to sign up. We started thinking that if we channel our energies into getting our friends, and friends of friends, and even strangers, to join the register, we could make a big difference. Mr Brandon proposed to Miss Robertson, 31, three weeks before she headed off on a six-month backpacking trip at the start of the year. Just two months later he started suffering from fatigue and night sweats. He visited the doctor who carried out blood tests and within four hours he learnt he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Miss Robertson, a physiotherapist from Bristol, received the devastating news in a phone call from Mr Brandon when she was 5000 miles from home in Burma. She immediately flew home to be at his side. "I had been due to go on a three week trek in Nepal the following day, so if the news … Continue reading →

Kate Robertson is trying to find a stem cell donor for Mike Brandon, 29 Mr Brandon was diagnosed with leukaemia on March 17 this year He is currently going through chemotherapy at Bristol Royal Infirmary He will need a stem cell transplant in July when the chemotherapy finishes Ms Robertson is urging people to join the Anthony Nolan donor register She also wants people to post 'shaky face' pictures on Facebook and Twitter while pledging to join the register By Emma Innes Published: 06:20 EST, 5 May 2014 | Updated: 07:20 EST, 5 May 2014 3,413 shares 12 View comments A bride-to-be has launched a battle against the clock to find her fianc a life-saving stem cell donor. Kate Robertson, 31, has just 60 days to find a donor for Mike Brandon, 29, who has leukaemia. She is urging people to join the donor register so that Mr Brandon can have the transplant he desperately needs when he finishes his current chemotherapy regime in early July. Kate Robertson, 31, is trying to find a stem cell donor for Mike Brandon, 29, who has leukaemia More here: Bride-to-be has 60 days to find stem cell donor for partner battling leukaemia … Continue reading →

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Hemorrhagic stroke is responsible for more than 30 percent of all stroke deaths. It happens when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain. Its something Jon Galvan experienced five years ago when he almost died from a hemorrhagic stroke while at work. "I was typing away and I felt a pop in my head," Galvan said. He was able to recover, but Dr. Abba Zubair, medical director of transfusion medicine and stem cell therapy at Mayo Clinic, Florida, said not everyone is as fortunate. "If it happens, you either recover completely or die," Zubair said. "Thats what killed my mother." Zubair said he wants to send bone marrow derived stem cells to the international space station. "Based on our experience with bone marrow transplant, you need about 200 to 500 million cells," Zubair said. But conventionally grown stem cells take a month. Experiments on earth have shown that stem cells will grow faster in less gravity. "Five to ten times faster, but it could be more," Zubair said. View original post here: Health Beat: Growing stem cells in space: Medicine's next big thing? … Continue reading →