Supporters are being encouraged to sign up to the national stem cell donor register, with the story of Francis Oldham capturing the hearts of Merseyside.

At just four months old, Francis, who lives near Goodison Park in the Walton suburb of Liverpool, has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Francis’ family were given the devastating news earlier this month and are now being looked after by Alder-Hey Children’s Hospital.

The family were informed that Francis’ best chance of survival is having a bone marrow transplant from a donor classed as a ‘10 out of 10’ – the strongest possible match.

After hearing about the campaign, Andy Mitchell, an Evertonian who runs a group called Blues Against Blood Cancer, is helping to co-ordinate a supporters’ drive to encourage as many people as possible to check if they could be a match by conducting a simple test.

Statistically young men aged 18-24 make the most matches but, unfortunately, that demographic is currently one of the most under-represented on the national register.

The way the register works means that even if you’re not a match for young Francis, you may be able to help somebody else in the UK or beyond whose life depends on it.

Andy has experience of being a match himself and knows the impact it can have by saving someone’s life.

He explained: ”I joined the register myself after seeing an appeal in the Liverpool Echo regarding a brother and sister in Southport, who funnily enough had the same name as my kids and needed a transplant.

“Sadly, I wasn’t a match for Ella or Sam but two years later I was found to be a match for another person in need with leukaemia called Paul. That's now added another 15 years to his life so far. 

"I’m urging everyone to take two minutes out of your day to take the test and join the register. You may be a match for Francis or you could be saving someone else’s life.”

Andy spoke passionately to Evertonians about Francis’ story on the Fan Zone prior to Everton’s recent home fixture with Wolves, highlighting the need for support, how easy the test is to complete, and how you could change someone’s life.

A banner promoting the campaign to support Francis, which was also held aloft at Anfield during Liverpool’s last home Premier League fixture, was captured by TV cameras ahead of kick-off at Goodison Park.

In his desire to help raise awareness in finding matches for people on the register, Andy formed Blues Against Blood Cancer. The idea came after Andy read the story of former Blues defender Gary Stevens’ son Jack, who was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia and tragically passed away in late 2021.

Everton has been no stranger in supporting such campaigns and has previously worked with DKMS on a campaign called ‘Find A Match’, which sought to find a donor for a young Blue called Finn McEwen.

The drive helped raise awareness, with Finn successfully finding a match and overcoming myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare bone marrow disease.

There are two charities with which you can donate stem cells in the United Kingdom – DKMS and Anthony Nolan. The latter is supporting Francis and his family on their journey.

Both organisations collaborate and share donor lists when a new transplant is needed to ensure the pool is as wide and coordinated as possible. 

Those between the ages of 16 and 30 are encouraged to donate with Anthony Nolan, while DKMS can accept donations from people between the ages of 17 and 55.

To learn more and join the register, please click the name of the organisation relevant to your age group. 

For anyone wanting to register in person, this can be done on Saturday 16 September at a special event aimed at raising awareness of Francis’ battle against cancer at Activity For All, Maguire Avenue, Bootle, L20 9PQ between 1pm and 6pm.

The event will offer a range of family friendly activities and all the money raised will be donated to the Anthony Nolan Trust.

For more details about Blues Against Blood Cancer and their work on the #FightForFrancis campaign, please follow @BluesVCancer on X, formerly Twitter.