Rugby hunting for bone marrow match for Ellis
Rugby is rallying round a determined search for a bone marrow match for Ellis Joseph.
Rugby is rallying round a determined search for a bone marrow match for Old Redclifians prop Ellis Joseph (26) who has been diagnosed with leukaemia. Among those pushing the #TryForEllis campaign, launched by his club, has been namesake and England prop Ellis Genge who promoted it on X to his 70,000 followers, having developed his own rugby skills at Old Redcliffians.
Head Coach Dan Cox said Ellis Joseph is one of the "most pivotal" people in the club. "It's people like him that the club is built around. We talk about the brotherhood of the club quite a lot, and actually he is everything that encapsulates.”
Among those being swabbed were Ellis’ teammates, who lined up at the club’s Scotland Lane ground in Brislington. Ellis has been told that his mixed heritage may make finding a match more difficult.
Sabrina Jarrett, from the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, said they need more people from mixed race backgrounds to volunteer for the database.
"We are always the ones, being of African Caribbean or mixed heritage, who wait the longest time to find a stem cell donor," she said.
"Someone generously joining the register is all that we need at this point because it's a numbers game. The more people registered, especially from our heritage, means that there's more chance of patients matching."
Clare Joseph, Ellis' mother, said Ellis remains "positive and determined. But it isn't just Ellis. Sadly, too many people are diagnosed each day with nasty diseases and other blood cancers which all end up needing transplants."
Rugby clubs throughout the Bristol area have joined the campaign. The University of Bristol held a stem cell testing day and other swab-testing events are due to be held in the coming weeks. At the away fixture v Dings Crusaders, the hosts raised £1,000 and helped promote #TryForEllis.
A recent week of campaigning saw more than 1,000 members of the Bristol and rugby community come together to offer time, effort, and testing.
Now Old Redcliffians RFC want to spread the word further, urging sports clubs, colleges, universities, and establishments of all sizes to push the campaign through various means to find a match for not only their beloved Ellis Joseph but also others in desperate need of a donor.
They say everyone can raise awareness and support the campaign by putting out flyers on site and via social media, ordering a home swab kit, posting photos of teams and staff wearing orange or red/black and tagging #TryForEllis, @OldRedcliffiansRFC and @ACLTcharity, fundraising for ACLT, or launching a drive to get people to come and swab to find out if they are a match.
They say that organisations of all types and sizes are encouraged to get involved, and if the #TryForEllis campaign can save just one life, anything is worth a try.
Those inspired to help can put on a donor registration drive, find out more information about patient appeals or register for a home swab kit for 16-30 years olds or 18-55 year olds.
