Cancer Patient Needs Stem Cell Donor

By Isabella Michie

702 ABC Sydney

Topic: Stem Cells

Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 7:30 am

Sarah Taylor has a rare blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome.

Sarah felt tired and had nosebleeds. She had long periods of feeling unwell.

As time passed, her symptoms got worse. She had to quit her job and stay in bed.

After many wrong diagnoses, Sarah learned she had a rare blood cancer. Her only hope is a stem cell transplant.

Sarah had to quit her job. Now she relies on a disability pension.

Sarah said, 'I'm 28, but I can't live a normal life. Everything is too risky for me.'

Now Sarah gets blood and platelet transfusions almost every day to stay alive.

About 1,200 Australians need a life-saving stem cell transplant, says the Leukaemia Foundation.

Australia's donor list has gotten smaller. In 2009, there were 173,000 registrants. In 2024, there were 165,000.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief said, 'Australia's donor list is not good.'

He also said, 'We don't have a good way to get people to donate.'

The best age for a bone marrow donor is 18 to 25 years old. But only 1.2% of Australians in that age group are registered.

Australia's donor list is very small compared to other countries like Germany.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief said, 'We're not good at getting donors. We're not good at raising awareness.'

This process is stressful.

Sarah has a group of blood cancers that affect the production of normal blood cells.

In February, Sarah learned she needed a stem cell transplant.

Waiting for a transplant makes Sarah feel stressed.

None of Sarah's family members can donate. So her medical team looked for a volunteer donor.

Sarah said her family members have genetic mutations, so they're not a good match.

Only one of the potential donors was a 100% match.

But the donor had traveled to countries with a lot of malaria, which could put Sarah at risk.

Sarah is terrified. She has no white blood cells to fight off infections.

If Sarah gets an infection, it will be a longer battle.

Sarah's stem cell transplant was delayed due to a lung infection.

A spokesperson said staff are still looking at Sarah's treatment options.

Stem cell donors are carefully chosen to ensure a close match for the patient.

The hospital is still taking care of Sarah and discussing her treatment options.

Sarah is now scheduled to get her transplant this week.

Australia relies on donors from other countries.

Most patients get a transplant from overseas donors.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief said, 'We usually look to Germany for donors.'

Germany has a good system for donors. They make it easy to register online.

Before she got sick, Sarah didn't know about the need for stem cell donors.

Unlike Germany, Australia's donor list has limited resources.

A person's ethnicity is important for finding a matching donor.

For countries like Australia with many different cultures, this is a problem.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief said, 'First Nations people won't find a match in Germany.'

The donor list needs to grow to at least 10% of 18 to 35-year-olds.

Other countries can do it, but Australia can't.

There's a lack of awareness and education.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief believes two main factors contribute to the low donor list: lack of awareness and education.

Many people think donating stem cells is painful and time-consuming.

In most cases, stem cells are collected like plasma donation.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief said, 'More people should know about stem cell donation.'

To find a donor, a person takes a cheek swab to see if they're a genetic match.

Once a match is found, blood is taken from one arm, and stem cells are collected.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief thinks Australia should follow Germany's approach to increase awareness.

More funding is needed.

It took months of testing and two wrong diagnoses before Sarah learned she had myelodysplastic syndrome.

Sarah said, 'This long process has been getting to me.'

Like Sarah, 90% of Australians waiting for a stem cell transplant have a form of blood cancer.

The rate of blood cancer has increased by 79% in the past two decades.

Between 2012 and 2020, blood cancer got only 12% of research investment.

The Leukaemia Foundation wants the government to invest $125 million in blood cancer research.

The Leukaemia Foundation chief said, 'We need more investment in blood cancer research.'

There are many researchers, but not enough money to invest.

ABC Sydney news

Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 7:30 am

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