Raising the profile for lifesaving donations

Months after losing their two year-old daughter Margot to blood cancer in 2014, Yaser Martini and his wife Vicki set up the Team Margot Foundation, with the aim of raising awareness and helping families and individuals have better access to donors.

And since registering the charity, their appeals have enabled over 50,000 people in the UK to sign up to donor registers and request swab kits online.   

In addition, Yaser and his sister Nadia launched ‘Giving to help others’ - a tailored education programme for primary schools across the country to raise awareness on blood cancers and the need for more donors of stem cells, blood and organs.

Speaking about the decision to launch the programme, Yaser said: 

“It took a loved one for me to change my own attitude and behaviour towards stem cell and blood donation, and I very much hope that others will embrace the culture and philosophy of ‘Giving to help others’, without first having to suffer their own family tragedy.”

They also work to improve the under-representation of Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Minority Ethnic (BAME) donors on the worldwide bone marrow and stem cell registers, a prevalent issue for people in need.

Yaser added: “Our family is hugely grateful to the tens of thousands of people in the UK and overseas who have and continue to support the cause and help spread the word. We imagine a world where every patient in need of a bone marrow transplant is confident of quickly finding a matching donor. And that every requirement for blood, platelet or organ donation can be met.”