Yesterday and this morning Alice was trending on Twitter because someone tweeted to trend on Twitter was one of her bucket list wishes. But as the International Business TImes and Guardian.co.uk pointed out this morning, something got lost in translation. To "trend" on Twitter (meaning be one of the most popular topics being talked about and shared on Twitter) just for the sake of trending wasn't really her goal.
In actuality her wish was to broadcast an appeal for people to register and join their national bone marrow donor registries. Reaching people "To make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor" is at the top of her budket list. She even donated herself, to herself, two years ago and says "it really didn't hurt at all."
Says Alice in her blog post on June 9th, 2011:
"I'm excited about the things I am going to be doing, but the biggest thing has to be all the people who are joining bone marrow donation schemes because of me. I read on someones post that it is really painful. Well, mostly bone marrow is taken as cells via a needle and I have had it done. I was 13 when I had my first transplant and because they used my own cells, I had to have them taken out (they call it harvested) and then stored and put back in some months later after more chemo. I'm not just saying this, but it really didn't hurt at all. I had a tiny bruise from the needles and that was about it. I was a bit tired too but I'm always tired so that may not have been the cells.To join the marrow registry:
So, I was never begging and I don't need any money but I do love to get your messages and I hope you'll follow my blog and keep leaving me a message. I will take a camera with me wherever I go and I'll post photos of everything I do. In return, you can keep asking everyone you bump into to join the bone marrow donation schemes in your country."
- In the UK Alice recommends the Anthony Nolan UK Blood Cancer Charity.
- In the US you can visit Be The Match to order a home test kit online or learn where local drives are being held using your zip code.
- Internationally you can see if your country has a registry by visiting a site I created called Marrow Drives.org
Please honor Alice's wish by joining your local registry and encouraging others to join if you can't or are already in the registry.
If you want to donate money to a cause the only option Alice has mentioned is to support her sister Milly in the Race for Life run sponsored by Tesco and Cancer Research UK.
Alice I am so sorry that you are sick and I hope you are able to make most of your dreams come true. Have fun this weekend at Take That! And thank you for helping to raise awareness about the marrow donor registry. I'll be reading your blog from now on and will help as much as possible to publicize your list.
Here are some of the things Alice wants to do with the time she has left:
- To make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor
- To swim with sharks
- To go to Kenya (I can't travel there now but I wanted to))
- To enter Mabel in a regional Labrador show
- To have a photoshoot with Milly, Clarissa, Sammie and Megs
- To have a private cinema party for me and my BFFs
- To design an Emma Bridgewater Mug to sell for charity
- To stay in a caravan
- To have a purple Apple ipad but I'm not really allowed to put that on here and mum is trying to borrow one
- To be a dolphin trainer (I can't do this one either now)
- To meet Take That
- To go to Cadbury World and eat loads of chocolate
- To have a nice picture taken with Mabel
- To stay in the chocolate room at Alton Towers
- To have my hair done if they can do anything with it
- To have a back massage
- To go whale watching
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