Leading dental technician Luke Barnett is calling on those in the dental field to support his campaign to help defeat MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) and blood cancer.

Luke's 20-year-old niece Alice has MDS, a blood disorder which can lead to acute myelogenous leukemia, and she is writing a frank, funny and heartfelt blog about facing the condition and all that it entails. Her inspiring blog can be found at www.alicebyron.com

Luke said, 'I am devastated for my niece and no-one at the age of 20 with their entire life in front of them should have to face this kind of condition. That is why I am asking all those who can to take just a couple of minutes and sign up to become a donor so that we can beat MDS and all blood cancers.

'All that you need to do is to run a swab around your cheek and then send back in the envelope provided – and that's it! Surely we can all take two minutes out of our busy lives to do this? The more people who are on the registers, means more chance of finding a match. The odds are that you will never be called upon, but if you are then you alone will have the opportunity to give someone else a second chance of life by donating some of your blood stem cells.'

For those lucky enough to be under 30, please visit www.anthonynolan.org/apply-join-bone-marrow-register and if you are aged 30-55 please visit www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/en/register-now.