When you have a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, you become a member of the Double Birthday Club! This means you can choose to celebrate that day, and the anniversary each year, as a new birthday.

Many people choose to celebrate every year by holding a celebration with their family, or by giving back with some fundraising. 

Why should you celebrate your second or "re-birthday"?

• For children and young people, the experience of having a transplant can put strain on family relationships, with long periods of separation, and young siblings feeling worried or sometimes a bit left out while their parents are focussed on helping their ill child to get better! Celebrating the date together as a family can help bring siblings together after a traumatic time, and reflect on what you have been through as a family in a positive way. 
  
  
• This is good for adults too! Many people like to mark the anniversary by meeting with friends for a little celebration, to toast life getting better - and spend extra time with the people they missed during long hospital stays or periods of isolation. 
  
  
• When you're in hospital for your transplant, planning some birthday activities, if you feel up to it, can help the time pass! Hannah from our team has created our Double Birthday Club illustration as a cross stitch pattern, and we also have downloadable bunting to colour in and cut out, see below. 

Double Birthday Club gifts and resources

We thought people celebrating their double birthday should be able to receive a card that fits their experience. So we worked with illustrator Danni Gadd to create new cards and a badge!

Now available in our shop:

Re-birthday balloon card £3.50	Double Birthday club card £3.50	Wooden badge £3.99
Print and colour bunting Download free PDF	Cross Stitch Pattern £1.50	New Re-Birthday club card -2023 £3.50
New Double Birthday club card - 2023 £3.50	New Double Birthday club Badge coming 16th September £3.99

Want to send a gift too? We've got you covered! Browse our online shop for aplastic anaemia themed pencils, FREE children's picture book, or a lovely pair of earrings that are a fab match for our balloon card!

I like to raise an enormous toast to my lifesaving donor in Germany, all of the amazing nurses, doctors and HCAs involved in my care and to remind myself of how far I've come. I take a day off work, and eat and drink lots of treats with those nearest and dearest to me.

It's the same people who held my hand through all the ups and downs of my journey and transplant, so I see it as a way of thanking them too. I don't really know where I'd be without all those cheerleaders in the run up to, during and after my transplant. So it's big cheers, hugs and clinking of glasses all around!

For me, it's a healthy and timely reminder of how precious life is, and to relish it. It also reminds me of the less good days that are etched in my mind, and to look back on them knowing that they passed, as do most things.

- Helena, celebrating her one-year re-birthday!

Support The Aplastic Anaemia Trust on your Re-Birthday!

If you'd like to help us provide to support to other people who are going through treatment for aplastic anaemia, here are some fab fundraising activities you could try...

Create a Facebook Birthday fundraiser, and ask your friends to make a small donation on your re-birthday. It's also a great way to let your network know about your second birthday! Just visit our Facebook page and click on "raise money. If you're not into Facebook you can create a Double Birthday donation page on this website:

Create your Double Birthday Club fundraising page

Plan a Re-Birthday Party on the anniversary of your transplant day!
(It's just like a normal birthday party, but you can ask your friends to make a donation instead of getting you a present.)

Take on a challenge as a family. A great bonding activity is to try and tackle a set distance together as a team, especially one that's tied to the journey you've been on together. Three years after Caden's transplant, the Moore family decided to cover the distance he'd had to travel for treatment together, over a similar time span. You can read about their adventure here.

If you're thinking about supporting us for your Re-Birthday, get in touch with Hannah ([email protected]). She can supply you with useful resources and help you get set up for some fundraising!

Information resources for people who are having a bone marrow or stem cell transplant

We are here for you. If you are having a transplant and are under 25, we have a host of resources for you and your family. Visit our MarrowKidz subsite and select your age range to find the right resources. 

If you are an adult having a transplant, we recommend Anthony Nolan's information resources, which are available here. We don't waste time replicating their information ourselves, but we do have a range of resources for adults that are about aplastic anaemia specifically, which you can find here. 

To talk to someone who understands, or ask any questions, contact our support line. 

With thanks to Danni Gadd and Ashleigh Kennedy 

Danni Gadd is the wonderful artist (and scientist) who worked with us to create the 2021 exclusive illustrations for our Double Birthday Club resources and cards.

If you're interested in working with Danni on your own project, drop her an email: [email protected] 

You can check out more of her drawings on Instagram: @DanniGaddDraws

Ashleigh, a talent member of our youth board who has lovingly designed the new 2023 designs for us. 

We would like to thank Ashleigh and Danni for helping us to make aplastic anaemia patients feel recognised and special.