Are you ready to save lives?

I've always been keen to help people in anyway I can. Anything from volunteering or something as simple as being on the organ register I try and do my bit. Like I'm sure many other people did, I saw the piece on The One Show back in May about the charity Anthony Nolan and bloody cancer, it made me very feel lucky to be healthy and made me realise that I could do something so simple that could save someones life.

I browsed the information on the website to make sure I was happy with what I was doing and signed up straight away. Its a worldwide charity so you could be saving someone's life in Australia if you were a match! Pretty amazing.

There are a staggering 137 different types of blood cancer with it being the fifth most common cancer in the UK. 1 in 25 people will be diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in their lifetime. Someone is diagnosed with bloody cancer every 20 minutes in the UK. There are over 230,000 people living with blood cancer in the UK and we can make a difference.

I wanted to go through the process of what you needed to do to join the register as I had a preconception that you had to give blood but thats not the case! ITS SO EASY!

Once you've sent your details in, fill out a few health questions you'll get an email confirming everything and that'll you'll get a pack in the post soon for the sample. For me, it took 2 weeks for the pack to come and it was as easy as 1,2,3 to send your sample off!

Anthony Nolan actually only need a sample of your spit, not blood as many people think, to add you to the register. The instructions are very clear and they talk you through each thing you need to do.

Step 1 - Open the bag! Simple as that, you'll see a pack inside with instructions of what to do next!

Step 2 - Give a spit sample! The testing tubes cost a lot of money for the charity to send out, so make sure you give a proper sample or send it back if you've changed your mind. The tube will have an individual bar code on it for you along with all your information details. Make sure these are correct!

You need to provide a spit sample that falls in-between the two lines on the tube (not including bubbles!!). Its actually not that much spit, I put too much in the first time and to start again... Once you've done that clip the tube shut which will release the purplish fluid in the cap and give it a good shake. You're now good to go!

Step 3 - Post it! Once you've written the date and time you took your sample on the tube, pop it in the DNA specimen bag, seal that and then put it in the free post envelope.

A lovely little extra step 4 is some free teapigs peppermint tea for your efforts! Sit back and enjoy knowing you could be saving a life.

I've put a video below that's on their website that describes the process :)

I wanted to write this post after I'd been officially signed up to the register so I could talk about the whole process and today I received my donor card in the post! I look forward to what happens in the future and I hope one day I can save someones life.

Please sign up to the register, you could save someones life.