Support us Fundraise Fundraising events Karen is running the London Marathon Donate Fundraise I'm running the London Marathon to support people with a rare form of bone marrow failure, aplastic anaemia. I am taking on the daunting challenge of the 2026 London Marathon in support of my Aunty Geraldine. She was diagnosed in the early 1960s at the age of 5. This is (and was) an incredibly rare condition which Geraldine describes as ‘pretty terrifying’. She says ‘all I did was bleed all the time. They tried to sort it with blood transfusions but that didn’t work so from the age of 6 I took lots of steroids a day. My body went through lots of changes which was quite traumatic. I spent lots of time in Evelina Children’s Hospital before it closed and went to Guy’s’. She was placed in a special school for disabled children but moved to a mainstream school from the age of 11. Geraldine is now fully recovered and lives in Kent near her 5 children, 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren These times are financially challenging but please support if you can. What is aplastic anaemia?Aplastic anaemia is a rare and life threatening condition caused by the bone marrow not functioning properly. In people with aplastic anaemia, the bone marrow fails to produce enough of all three types of blood cells – red, white and platelets.Aplastic anaemia treatment is very similar to the treatment someone might have for leukaemia - but because it's so rare, families often don't have access to the same information and support.The Aplastic Anaemia Trust is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting people affected by aplastic anaemia and funding research into this rare form of bone marrow failure. By donation you'll be....Providing supportThe Aplastic Anaemia Trust make sure that no one affected by aplastic anaemia feels alone. They provide informed and caring support, they provide community. They make sure there is always some one on the end of the phone. Having someone to talk to who understands, who you don't have to explain your condition to again and again. Funding ResearchIn December 2024, the news came out that a clinical trial that The AAT is funding is showing promising results with a brand new treatment for AA.In 2025 they published a paper setting out the current priorities for clinical research in aplastic anaemia. Those priorities will require The AAT to raise more money for research than they've have ever raised before. Read the report Your donations matter The Aplastic Anaemia Trust recently funded an exciting collaborative study investigating genetic mutations in patients with aplastic anaemia or PNH. The team have made some fascinating discoveries, and will soon be sharing the finding and what they might mean for how we understand this condition. The cost of funding this research was £50,641.63. Every penny of this was raised by people like you donating. Research can improve the way AA is treated, not just for future patients “some day” far off – but right now. In recent years, research has told us how people with AA respond to the Covid vaccine, and demonstrated the benefits of eltrombopag alongside standard immunosuppressants, and now they're trialling brand new treatments! If The AAT don’t fund and enable research into aplastic anaemia – no-one will. That’s why I'm asking you to donate for the future of AA research and support. Manage Cookie Preferences