A YORK cancer sufferer today made a desperate plea for a donor to come forward.

Jamie Glover, 20, suffers from Hodgkins Lymphoma. The student, who lives at Appleton Roebuck, may die unless he receives an urgent stem cell transplant.

He has asked anyone who could be a match to attend a special clinic in York next week, organised by the Anthony Nolan Trust.

There, Jamie, along with other people who need transplants, will be hoping a donor can come forward to provide a match.

Jamie has suffered from cancer since he was 18. Twice he has been in remission but, on each occasion, the cancer has come back.

Today he said he had to remain positive and hope a donor could be found. But he admitted that his prospects without a successful match were bleak.

"Anyone who turns up to the clinic may, literally, be the person who saves my life," he said. "This is the only option left for me, things don't look very good without it.

"I have to stay positive about, to remain hopeful. You just have to. But to turn up and be tested at the clinic, it is giving the gift of life."

Hodgkins Lymphoma is a rare cancer where white cells in the immune system become abnormal and divide too rapidly. Doctors are still unsure how people contract the disease.

Jamie's sister, Zoe, 24, said the family had been devastated by his illness and were praying for a match to be found. "It was the last thing in the world we expected to happen to him," he said.

"He can't get hold of his life at the moment and every time we have had a success he has been knocked back. But he keeps fighting."

Jamie, a musician who studies at Leeds College of Music, said none of his family had been a donor match, leaving the clinic his only hope.

But he added: "This is not just about my life. Going on the donor list could mean someone else could be saved. It is that important."

How you can help

People can join the donor register at Burnholme Community College, in Bad Bargain Lane, on Wednesday, March 24, from 4pm to 8pm

Potential donors must be aged 18 to 40, be in good general health, weigh over eight stone and be willing to donate stem cells or bone marrow to any patient they match, at any time

A small blood sample will be taken and donors can choose whether to donate cells from the bone marrow, under general anaesthetic, or from the blood stream - in a process similar to giving blood

Those who are unable to attend the clinic but still want to be placed on the donor register for stem cell and bone marrow transplants should call the Anthony Nolan Trust on 0901 8822 234.

Prospective donors can also email the trust on newdonor@anthonynolan.org.uk

Updated: 10:32 Friday, March 19, 2004