Local hero marks 10 years of life-saving contributions

A Droylsden blood donor is marking a decade of donations by encouraging other people in Tameside to sign up.

Inspired by her mother, Linzi Dickinson has continued the family legacy, saving thousands of lives along the way.

The 37-year-old from Droylsden began her journey in 2015 when she donated her stem cells to a stranger.

She soon joined NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) as a donor carer, offering support to others giving blood.

Linzi has since expanded her role, training new donor carers while still encouraging more people to sign up for the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry.

"I think I reached my twentieth donation a couple of weeks ago," Linzi said. "I've collected thousands over the eight years with the NHSBT."

Each blood donation can save up to three lives, and Linzi's dedication speaks volumes about the impact of her contributions.

“I did receive an anonymous letter from the recipient’s parents thanking me for my donation, thanking me for saving their child’s life which was really nice and it did make me cry when I read it.”

The NHS Dental Registry has also shown their support for Linzi: “I got a nice care package with some flowers and some gifts from them and then they do regular checks to make sure that nothing untoward has happened to me.” 

Linzi is celebrating this milestone by sharing her experience and highlighting the significance of donating, along with its lasting impact: “I just want to share my story and just to try and get that engagement to get people out there, getting more people on the register.

"That’s mainly what I would want from my celebration of my ten years is getting more people signed up because the more people on the register, the more chance there is that patients get their life saving cure.”

The future is shaping up to be a busy one for Linzi, as she plans to use her experience to guide others on a similar path.

"It's nice to get that sense of accomplishment when one of your trainees is completely passed and they're off doing it on their own.

"You’re like a proud parent. Then I also have the extra thing of knowing that all the donations they take and all the people that they save, I’ve done a little part of that because I got them to the stage where they’re saving lives as well."

   Linzi, during her stem cell donation in March 2015 - Image: Linzi Dickinson

To join the NHS Stem Cell Donor Register, an additional blood sample is taken during a routine blood donation.

Donors should inform staff that they’d like to join the register before donating. People aged 17 to 40 are eligible to sign up.

NHS Blood and Transplant coordinates between 200 and 300 stem cell donations annually, benefiting patients around the world.

In 2022, there were 4,533 stem cell transplants performed in the UK alone.

Guy Parkes, Head of Stem Cell Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Linzi’s is an incredible story and just goes to show how easy it is to make one small decision that will positively impact so many.

"By saying yes to joining the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry when asked, Linzi has gone on to directly save a life and indirectly save thousands more by going on to become a donor carer.

"The number of people’s lives she has impacted is fantastic and we cannot thank her enough.”

Find out more about Linzi’s story in the full length interview Not Really Here Media on Youtube.