Case History Database

The impact of the campaign went beyond increasing stem cell donation numbers. It changed Australia’s healthcare system. Liam O’Brien, a young father of two was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer in 2022. Like all blood cancer patients his only chance for a cure was a stem cell transplant. But Australia's Stem Cell Register was dying. Stem cell donations had been in constant decline for years. This was largely due to lack of public awareness around the need for donations and the fact that simple mechanisms to find stem cell matches were not approved in Australia. Specifically, the use of cheek swabs to find potential donors. In a period of just two months, the campaign had achieved its key objective. A stem cell match was found for Liam, giving him a chance to undergo a stem cell transplant that could save his life.