Headshaking Craze Helps Woman Find A Stem Cell Donor For Her Fiancé

The #Shake4Mike campaign saw a huge rise in the number of people joining a bone marrow donor register.

In March of this year, 29-year-old Mike Brandon from Bristol was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Anthony Nolan

He discovered the news while his fiancée Kate Robertson was backpacking around Burma.

The 31-year-old immediately rushed back to the UK to hear doctors announce Mike would need a bone marrow transplant by the end of June, giving the couple around 60 days to find a donor.

Anthony Nolan

So Robertson proceeded to launch a social media campaign to encourage more people to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.

Via Twitter: @Shake4mike

The #Shake4Mike campaign asked people to post “shaky-face selfies” on their social media profiles.

Gwen Giudici @JudiChi_Design

Time is ticking for our cousin @Shake4mike: Register & save a life @AnthonyNolan SHAKE, SHARE, NOMINATE! #Shake4mike

11:23 PM - 12 May 2014

People were also encouraged to nominate others to take part, in the same way the #NoMakeupSelfie craze went viral earlier this year.

Peter Finch @pfgolfpro

I've just registered #shake4mike @AnthonyNolan all of my followers get involved, your good deed for the day!

02:50 PM - 07 May 2014

Becky Holmes @Bechol

#shake4mike a hard hitting story- please do whatever you can to raise awareness fbk: search shake4mike

09:29 PM - 06 May 2014

Shake4mike @Shake4mike

Happy Tuesday Shaky facing! Register, shake, share, nominate #shake4mike @AnthonyNolan http://t.co/PieqQXmZRZ

07:30 AM - 06 May 2014

Laurent Manès @Laurentmurphy

My friend Mike has leukemia, I can help and register as a stem cell donor at http://t.co/i9Hj08tV14 #Shake4mike

12:53 PM - 05 May 2014

Robertson’s campaign had an immediate impact, with Anthony Nolan reporting a 650% increase in the number of people applying to join the register online just a week after #Shake4Mike started.

Shake4mike @Shake4mike

Shaking while the players warm up - think we're working harder #Shake4mike

01:49 PM - 11 May 2014

Between 4 and 12 May, more than 7,000 people signed up, compared to 939 for the same period last year.

Anthony Nolan

And Brandon and Robertson have now received some good news; a matching donor for Mike has now been found.

Anthony Nolan

"It’s been an incredibly difficult time so the relief we’re feeling is overwhelming; a matching donor means that we can go ahead with Mike’s bone marrow transplant,” Robertson said.

“We know we have a rocky road ahead as a transplant is a serious procedure, but knowing there is a good match for Mike is a fantastic boost that we desperately needed.

Anthony Nolan

“We are hugely grateful to the selfless person who has stepped forward to help Mike, and to everyone who has pledged to do the same for someone else, by joining the Anthony Nolan register.”

Brandon is set to have the transplant next month.

Despite a donor being found, Robertson and her friends have vowed to continue promoting the campaign and Anthony Nolan.

Anthony Nolan

The 31-year-old added: "The campaign was never just about finding a donor for Mike. Even at the outset we wanted to help make sure that there will be matching donors for other people going through the same agonising wait – other people’s brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mums and dads, and lifelong partners.

“We have been very lucky in finding a match but I know that not everyone is as fortunate. We still hope everyone will keep shaking their faces at cancer and continue to spread the #Shake4mike campaign to help others in Mike's situation.”

Find out more about Anthony Nolan and #Shake4Mike campaign in the video below:

youtube.com