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15-year-old terminal cancer patient, Alice Pyne, is smiling after her bucket list went viral on the internet, inspiring an outpouring of support from around the world. Among the items on her list which include swimming with sharks and going to Kenya is to have everyone sign up to be a bone-marrow donor.

Alices bucket list

How is bone marrow donated?
Close-up of iliac crest awake during 1 The donor is local anestheticthe procedure. A is applied to the area where the needle will be injected Iliac crest Marrow

What is bone marrow?

Bone marrow is the tissue found in the soft centre of your bones. It manufactures red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which ght infection), and platelets (which help to stop bleeding).

Who is Alice?
Lives with her parents in Ulverston, U.K. Has been suffering from cancer for the last four years Loves dogs, especially her Labrador puppy named Mabel Favourite lm is Bridget Jones Diary Created a blog called Alice's Bucket List, on which one of her wishes is for everyone to become a bonemarrow donor.

2 A bone marrow harvestthe needle is driven into 3

marrow from the donor

Hip bone

bone, typically the iliac crest of the hip bone

3 A syringe is attached to the needle to extract bone 4

Once extracted, the marrow is ltered, treated and transplanted into the recipient immediately

Hip bone

5 The marrow is transfused

Bone Skin

Marrow

6,793

through a vein via IV where it will naturally transport itself into the bones cavities. It can take up to a year for the immune system to recover from this procedure.

Bone marrow donors by 4,264 country

2,213
(Thousands of donors in select countries)

Alice Pyne and Mabel

FILE PHOTO

173
Australia Brazil

281
Canada

204
France

70
Germany Hong Kong

357
Italy

387
Japan

14
Mexico

258
Portugal

137
Spain

376
Taiwan

801
U.K. U.S.A.

Sources: A.D.A.M.; Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide

ANTHONY GREEN/QMI AGENCY