London Broncos and blood cancer charity DKMS: the perfect match to give hope to blood cancer patients

Rugby league stars London Broncos and blood cancer charity DKMS have teamed up to encourage rugby fans to become potential lifesavers by joining the stem cell donor register.

The new DKMS/London Broncos partnership will kick off in earnest on Saturday 31 May, when DKMS will be holding a special stem cell donor registration event at London Broncos’ match against Widnes Vikings (ticket sales: https://londonbroncos.ticketco.events/). 

This winning partnership, launched today, was initiated by lifelong rugby league fan Andrew Foster, who has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the impact that the lack of a compatible stem cell donor has for people diagnosed with a blood cancer or disorder. 

Weeks after his birth in 2022, Andrew’s son Rycroft was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, and became seriously ill. Doctors told Andrew and his wife Catherine that Rycroft would need a stem cell transplant: testing showed that no one within their immediate family was a compatible donor for Rycroft, so doctors turned to the stem cell donor register, where a match was found.

“It’s hard to put into words just what it feels like to hear the news that your child has got a chance,” recalls Andrew. “Within days of his transplant, Rycroft was cheerful and energetic. It gave us crucial hope.” Tragically, Rycroft contracted an infection whilst his immune system was still recovering post-transplant, and died aged just 16 months.

“Rycroft was so unlucky not to make the full recovery which a stem cell transplant has offered to so many others, but his transplant gave us more time with him, and every single day was so precious,” continues Andrew. “It’s not until your child needs a transplant that you realise how little most people know about stem cell donation – it’s such an amazing thing to do, and to honour Rycroft’s memory, I wanted to reach more people with that message.” 

There is an urgent need for more people to register – a quick and easy process involving some painless mouth swabs and a few questions – as every 14 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer. 

Ellis Joseph’s story is further, stark evidence of how this need for more potential donors has impacted the rugby community, and in particular people from UK ethnic minority and mixed heritages – patients from these backgrounds who need a stem cell transplant face longer waits to find a compatible donor, because their communities currently make up just 16% of the UK stem cell donor register. Ellis, a talented player for Old Redcliffians RFC in Bristol, and of dual White and African Caribbean heritage, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2024, becoming the focus of a major #TryForEllis campaign to find a compatible donor for him and others needing stem cell transplants, which saw over 1,000 people join the register. Tragically however, Ellis died on 7 February 2025, aged just 27 years, before a matching donor could be found.

Ellis’ mother, Clare says “If more people, especially from backgrounds like Ellis, joined the register, he might still be with us today. Joining the register is so simple, and each new person who joins offers hope to blood cancer patients everywhere of finding their match.”

On 31 May, DKMS volunteers will be at the match, ready to join supporters onto the register and answer any questions about stem cell donation and transplantation. For patients with blood cancer or blood disorders, every person joining the register could be the person that they have been waiting for – a compatible stem cell donor match, able to give them a second chance at life. In nine out of ten cases, donating stem cells is a simple, outpatient procedure similar to donating blood platelets.

In advance of today’s partnership launch, a DKMS team has already attended a London Broncos training day, where players were able to find out first-hand how easy it is to join the stem cell donor register.

Jason Loubser, Chief Executive for London Broncos says: “The whole London Broncos community was really moved by Andrew’s story/campaign. Inspired by him, we’re so proud to have partnered with DKMS toraise awareness about the life-saving potential of stem cell donation. Our support for DKMS will be ongoing, including fundraising for their vital work, but I’d like to start inviting everyone coming to the Cherry Red Records Stadium on 31 May to look out for DKMS and join the stem cell donor register with them. It could be the first step to offering someone searching for a compatible donor a second chance at life.”

Peter McCleave, DKMS UK Managing Director, says: “Blood cancer doesn’t discriminate, and as the heart-breaking stories of Rycroft and Ellis show, it doesn’t leave the rugby community untouched. We’re so grateful to Andrew and to everyone at London Broncos for their support in rallying rugby fans, irrespective of club loyalties, to become a potential stem cell donor.”

Joining the DKMS stem cell donor register is a quick process involving a simple mouth swab, which can even be completed at home. Anyone aged 17 – 55 years who is in general good health can register, and if you can’t attend the match on 31 May, you can sign up to receive a mouth swab kit online at:  https://www.dkms.org.uk/london-broncos