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 as a new birthday! Many people choose to celebrate the anniversary of their transplant every year with a celebration with their family, or by giving back with some fundraising. 

Why is this a good idea?

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. 

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...

Buy our beautiful new greetings cards to send to your friend or family member who is celebrating their re-birthday!

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! 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.