I lost my dear sister, Yvette Chin, aged 42, to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) which is an aggressive, fast-developing type of blood cancer. Around 800 people are diagnosed with ALL in the UK each year.

She was diagnosed in May 2021. Her extensive treatment involved chemotherapy, immunotherapy, clinical trials and most recently an umbilical cord stem cell transplant. Her battle with leukaemia lasted 17 months and she sadly passed away on 1^st November 2022.

Yvette was much loved by everyone she met from school, university, travelling and throughout her career. Her passion was urban regeneration and restoration of historic and iconic buildings across London. Her last role was as a Senior Project Manager for The Royal Household.

Yvette was a keen cyclist, runner and swimmer. One of her last wishes was for me to run the London Half Marathon and raise money for Blood Cancer UK. I am by no means a natural or keen runner but will be running in dedication of Yvette. Blood Cancer UK is a community and charity dedicated to beating blood cancer by funding research and supporting those affected.

Her survival depended on finding a suitable stem cell transplant from a bone marrow donor. Yvette was of mixed Chinese and Jamaican heritage. Unfortunately, no suitable donor match could be found for Yvette. The reality is that the percentage of all donors from ethnic minority backgrounds remains very low which highlights the importance of raising awareness of their lifesaving potential amongst this group. I would encourage as many people, especially from black, Asian or other ethnic minority backgrounds, to register as a bone marrow donor.

https://www.swabforyvette.com/ was an incredible campaign set up by Yvette’s friends and family to raise awareness and encourage people to register as a donor through a number of blood cancer charities. You could help save a life.