Peter Mccleave brings ‘10,000 Donors’ campaign to Macau

Peter McCleave, a blood cancer survivor and advocate, has arrived in Macau to promote stem cell donation through his campaign, “10,000 Donors.”

This initiative encourages individuals, particularly those from minority backgrounds, to register as stem cell donors to assist those battling blood cancers like myeloma.

“It’s really been about action and using my story as a way to engage people,” McCleave told The Times. Since launching the initiative in 2018, he has successfully registered over 130,000 donors and facilitated 26 matches for patients in need of stem cell transplants.

His journey began after being diagnosed with myeloma in 2017, following health complications that arose after completing a triathlon.

“Two days after finishing, I found myself in the Countess of Chester Hospital with pneumonia, sepsis, and legionnaires,” McCleave recalled. “I was given a maximum of seven years to live. However, that prognosis came with a caveat: if I could find a stem cell donor, there was no reason I couldn’t live a normal life.” It has now been just over seven years since that diagnosis.

In Macau, McCleave will embark on a 10-day campaign aimed at encouraging the Macanese community to sign up as stem cell donors. He plans to connect with community members and educate audiences in Macau and Hong Kong on the importance of stem cell donation. McCleave will raise awareness at Encontro 2024, an annual reunion of the Macanese diaspora that gathers more than 1,400 individuals from around the globe.

Born in the UK with a mixed English, Irish, and Macanese heritage, he emphasizes the urgency of his mission. “It’s the only chance I’ll ever get to speak to people of my heritage on that issue,” he explained.

“Through a simple cheek swab or a blood draw from the Hong Kong Red Cross, you can be the genetic twin of someone with blood cancer.”

His campaign not only seeks to increase donor registrations but also highlights health inequalities faced by individuals from diverse backgrounds. “I don’t do this campaign for me because I’m aware how difficult it is to find a match,” McCleave stated. “I do it because there’s a health inequality that can be fixed.”

Throughout his time in Macau and Hong Kong, McCleave will participate in various events, including radio and television interviews. He views this trip as the pinnacle of his campaigning efforts. “This is my last 10,000 Donors project and it’s the biggest one I’ll have done and the most impactful,” he noted.

Looking ahead, McCleave plans to continue his fight against blood cancer as managing director of DKMS, an international charity focused on raising awareness about blood cancer and stem cell donor registration.

“They operate out of seven different countries but not in Asia yet. I’m hoping to fix that,” he said.

As he embarks on this mission in Macau, McCleave remains motivated by his two sons and hopes that through education and community engagement, more lives can be saved. Nadia Shaw