Can you (or someone you know- under the age of 30) help Sue Lloyd Roberts?

The BBC news web-site here, has taken an unusual step of making an appeal for donors.

Sue has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia.


Sue urgently needs a matching donor as soon as possible.


Sue Lloyd Roberts is a BBC and ITN legend. She is a brave and tireless campaigners for human rights. She was the first journalist into Homs - smuggled into town in the back of a car. She was given a seven year prison sentence in absentia in China for her reporting on Chinese gulags and still went back there to report despite the risks. Then there are her reports on FGM, Burma, North Korea (for which she won an Emmy award). She has spent her life trying to give vulnerable and repressed people a voice.

Sadly Sue has a been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. She’s had two courses of chemo in anticipation of a stem cell transplant and was due to go into hospital last month for a transplant. Unfortunately the donor failed his medical at the last moment. She urgently needs a donor whose tissue type is the same as hers.

The BBC is going to hold an open day for the Anthony Nolan Trust to come into the BBC – on 22nd June, 10am to 4pm. They will set up on the 2nd floor. People will be asked to give a saliva sample, if they want to become donors. Even if it does not help her, there are 37,000 other people out there waiting so it could help hundreds of other people.

You have to be under 30 to be able to donate. Please ask any friends and colleagues to sign up – or do forward this to them. Even if people are not BBC we can get them into the building.

If you have any questions email james.clayton@bbc.co.uk

Sue is writing a blog at the moment - you can read it here.


Stem Cell Donors
Monday June 22nd From 10am until 4pm. New Broadcasting House