The Aplastic Anaemia Trust regularly host online events that give people affected by aplastic anaemia access to leading experts. Many of these are recorded, so you can watch the discussion back afterwards if you were unable to attend live. 

Please take note of the date on these events and bear in mind that some answers to questions raised may go out of date quickly - for example advice around Covid-19 protective measures. If you have a question about anything, contact us! You can reach us via our dedicated support line 0300 102 3202 or by emailing [email protected] 

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Cold and Flu Season Q&A with Dr Austin Kulasekararaj - 19 October 2023

With new variants of Covid circulating, is it understandable that people affected by aplastic anaemia and other rare bone marrow failures may be feeling uncertain about what the winter season holds this year.

Should I have my Covid booster? Is it safe for me to have a flu jab? These are just some of the questions that we receive from our community on our regular basis.

We were very grateful to Dr Austin Kulasekararaj, a Consultant Haematologist at King's College Hospital in London for generously offering his time to answer some of these very important questions.

Click on the image below to watch the recording.

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Managing your sleep webinar with Psychologist Catarina Baptista - 27 July 2023

We all experience difficulties with sleep from time to time, but when you are living with aplastic anaemia, or a similar or related rare condition, sleep issues can become even more challenging. 

Watch the recording of our webinar, hosted by Clinical Psychologist, Catarina Baptista, to learn more about how you can learn to relax and improve your sleep routine.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Benefits Q&A session with Welfare Rights Lawyer Atif Kaudri - 22 June 2023

We were joined by Welfare Rights Lawyer Atif Kaudri who gave a brief overview of the benefits system and then answered questions about benefits and financial support available for people living with aplastic anaemia and other related rare bone marrow failures.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Workplace and Employment Rights webinar with employment lawyer Carolyn Miller - 20 April 2023

A challenge faced by many living with aplastic anaemia is understanding their rights around employment and the workplace. 

In April 2023, we were joined by employment lawyer Carolyn Miller, who hosted this webinar which deals with the topic, how to have a difficult conversation at work, covering the following areas:

• What rights does an employee have when they have a long-term illness and what should you should expect from your employer? 
• What are reasonable adjustments? 
• Is it ever ok for an employer to terminate employment when a staff member has a long-term illness such as aplastic anaemia?

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Clean Diet and Healthy Eating webinar with Haemato-Oncology Dietician Katie Ahern - 9 March 2023 

For people living with aplastic anaemia, it is very important to maintain a healthy diet, and avoid foods that put them at risk of developing infections. We frequently receive enquiries about the types of food that are safe to eat, and we've got to admit, it's quite confusing sometimes!

If you feel the same, watch the recording below where Katie Ahern, Senior Specialist Haemato-Oncology Dietician at St James Haematology Dept in Dublin explains the latest developments around clean diet, how to maintain appetite and other issues that you may face.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Health and Fitness webinar with Rehabilitation Physiotherapist Shana Tribe - 9 February 2023

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is an important aspect of living with conditions such as aplastic anaemia. With fatigue being such a debilitating problem for people with aplastic anaemia, you may have wondered how you can exercise effectively and safely, without making your fatigue worse.

We hosted a health and fitness webinar, where Shana Tribe, a Specialist Rehabilitation Physiotherapist at Kings College NHS Foundation Trust shared tips and techniques for you to manage and maintain a healthy lifestyle, adapted to the challenges of living with aplastic anaemia.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Managing Fatigue webinar with Occupational Therapist Claire Traub - 12 January 2023

For many people living with aplastic anaemia, it can be hard to manage energy levels, and fatigue can be a constant burden. This can have a significant impact on a person's ability do to the things that they enjoy.

If you suffer from fatigue, this webinar may be helpful! Hosted by Claire Traub, an experienced Occupational Therapist, the webinar explains what fatigue is, and offers a range of tips and techniques that you can use to manage fatigue and energy levels in your everyday life.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Brain Fog Workshop with Dr Debbie Cook - 17 November 2022

Treatments for aplastic anaemia and other rare bone marrow failures can have many effects on the body. During, and after treatment, people often find it difficult to focus and concentrate, and can find it difficult to perform everyday tasks. This is what we often know and 'brain fog'.

If you are experiencing 'brain fog' - you are not alone! Watch the recording below to learn more about what Brain Fog is, and how you can manage it.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Cold and Flu Q&A with Dr Austin Kulasekararaj - 29 September 2022

In the run up to winter in 2022, Covid and Monkeypox were hanging around and uncertainty about vaccine efficacy and safety for people with aplastic anaemia was at the forefront of everyone's mind, with yet another challenging cold and flu season ahead for our community. Why are many AA patients advised against having the flu vaccine, but told they should receive the Covid-19 vaccine? Should you book another Covid-19 jab? Should your children be vaccinated to protect a vulnerable parent? Watch the recording to find out more.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Sepsis Awareness Webinar with CNS Bryony Forrest - 8 September 2022

Sepsis is a serious condition, and can be life-threatening if left untreated. For people with aplastic anaemia and other rare bone marrow failures, the disease itself, and the impact that the treatments have on the immune system mean that people with these conditions are at an increased risk of developing sepsis, and experiencing complications if it is left untreated.

Watch the recording of our webinar delivered by Clinical Nurse Specialist Briony Forrest to learn more about the signs and symptoms of sepsis, and what you should do if you feel concerned.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Managing Fatigue Webinar with Dr Debbie Cook - 10 March 2022

For many people living with aplastic anaemia, dealing with fatigue is an ongoing and daily struggle. For this session, we were joined by Dr Debbie Cook, a Counselling Psychologist based at Maggie's in Glasgow, who offered expert tips, techniques and advice that you can use to manage fatigue, making it easier for you to do the things that you enjoy.

Debbie advises patients with cancer related fatigue every day on how to feel better, and works regularly with AA patients from Maggie's in Glasgow.

The yoga, meditation and sound bath resources that Sam mentions at the end of the video are available here.

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Living with Aplastic Anaemia or PNH with CNS Louise Arnold - 16 February 2022

This webinar was all about dealing with the day to day difficulties people with aplastic anaemia might be struggling with. Discussions include: how to go on holiday, supporting a 12 year old through treatment, and getting "back to normal" after the pandemic.

Live attendees were able to raise their bugbears with a clinical nurse specialist, and connect with a friendly online room full of people who understand what they're going through. 

This session was led by Louise Arnold, a Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Nurse) from the Department of Haematology at St James' Institute of Oncology. 

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Aplastic Anaemia with Dr Shreyans Gandhi - 13 January 2022

It can be difficult to understand exactly what's happening in your cells when you have aplastic anaemia. In this webinar, we provided an expert overview of aplastic anaemia and its treatments. Dr Shreyans Gandhi, a Consultant Haematologist from Kings, was on hand to give an overview of the disease - plus an exciting look at how treatments for AA have improved, and the research that's set to improve them even further. 

Click the image below to watch the recording.

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Coronavirus Vaccine Research - 6 December 2021

In December 2021 there was growing uncertainty about the Coronavirus pandemic, people across the UK were being urged to receive their third doses, or booster doses of the Coronavirus vaccine to ensure that they were protected.

For people with aplastic anaemia and PNH, this was a worrying time as other studies focusing on blood cancers have shown that people with blood cancer often do not mount a sufficient immune response to the vaccine. 

Funded by Blood Cancer UK and The Aplastic Anaemia Trust, a team of researchers in Leeds, led by Professor Peter Hillmen worked tirelessly to find out how well people with aplastic anaemia and PNH respond to the vaccine.

Watch this webinar were we were joined by Professor Hillmen and the team from Leeds, who shared their latest findings, and what it means for people with aplastic anaemia and PNH.

Click the image below to watch the recording.