Clubbers join bone marrow search

DJ Swing has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma

Clubbers have been asked for blood tests at a London event on Sunday as part of a drive to find more bone marrow donors from the black community.

Mobo winner DJ Swing, who was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer last year, hosted the event at The Lift House venue in Farringdon.

He is among many people who urgently need a bone marrow transplant and a blood test can find a match.

The African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) has organised the event.

It wants more black people to register on the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register.

Once clubbers have registered with the clinic, they can get into the event at the Lift House.

The chance of finding a matching donor for a patient is greater if they are from the same racial background DJ Swing

DJ Swing, real name Brian Daly, said: "The only way they can get into the venue is if they give blood - it's just a pinprick."

He was diagnosed last January with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer which is particularly difficult to treat and affects 3,500 people in the UK each year.

He told BBC London he had just come back from performing in Germany when he was diagnosed.

"With the help of friends it has been ok, but the first few months were quite scary," he added.

AN ACLT spokesman said they were appealing to Londoners aged 18 to 45 of African or Caribbean descent to come forward to register as potential donors.

He added: "A person's bone marrow type is an inherited characteristic and the chance of finding a matching donor for a patient is greater if the donor is from the same racial/ethnic background."