# Rankin & Anthony Nolan join forces in ‘thank you’ campaign

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/09/24/rankin-anthony-nolan-join-forces-in-thank-you-campaign/
- Published: 2019-09-24T09:45:40+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**People in the UK say ‘thank you’ 59 times a day, yet when it comes to life-changing
situations, half admit struggling to express gratitude to those who help the most,
according to research by blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan.**

To mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September 2019), the power and the limitations
of saying ‘thank you’ are explored in a series of images and a short film shot for
the charity by portrait photographer, Rankin. His work captures the visible struggle
as people who have received a life-saving stem cell transplant try to find the words
to say ‘thank you’ to their donors, known or anonymous.

The [Silent Thank You](https://www.anthonynolan.org/thankyou) tells the stories 
of six recipients of life-saving bone marrow transplants, and also asks people to
give, explaining that over 2,000 people a year in the UK need a stem cell transplant,
and for every £40 raised, [Anthony Nolan](https://www.anthonynolan.org/) can recruit
another potential donor to its stem cell register.

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Rankin commented:

> “We’ve all experienced moments when we’ve been lost for words – generally in times
> of extreme emotion. I feel privileged to have shared some of the recipients’ amazing
> journeys of hope and recovery, made possible by the selfless act of someone who
> has never met, nor may ever meet, them.”

Joanna Calder, 50, from Hampshire had Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and received a stem
cell transplant facilitated by Anthony Nolan. She said:

> “It’s hard to thank an anonymous stranger for the gift of your life because it
> sounds meaningless and not enough. Because there aren’t words to thank somebody
> that you’re potentially never going to meet. I am very lucky, and I’m very grateful
> for Anthony Nolan and my donor.”

Henny Braund, Chief Executive at Anthony Nolan added:

>  “For someone with blood cancer, a stem cell transplant could be their last chance
> of survival and, every day five people start their search for a matching stranger.
> “
> We want to give every family the opportunity to say thank you. Nobody should hear
> there is no matching donor for them. But without support, lives can’t be saved.”

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