#Match4Lara: How social media can overcome your biological odds

For mixed-race and BME people in search of a donor, survival can be a case of beating the statistics.

Lara Casalotti is a 24-year old Londoner with a recently diagnosed case of acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a type of blood cancer. Lara needs to find a donor who can supply her with stem cells – the cells which grow into healthy white and red blood cells – by April.

Thanks to a depressing combination of biological and social factors, Lara is far less likely to find a match than most Brits. But thanks to a worldwide campaign launched by her family and friends and spread via social media, the probabilities may well be shifting in her favour.