A CO Derry GAA player whose father's life was saved by a bone marrow transplant has called for Gaelic clubs across the north to help recruit donors.
Ryan McGeough from Portstewart said his father would not be alive if he had not had a transplant 10 years ago.
"He was lucky as his brother was a match....but there are so many people who aren't just as lucky," he said.
Mr McGeough, who plays for Eoghan Rua in Coleraine, is now trying to encourage GAA clubs to hold recruitment sessions to encourage players to join the bone marrow transplant register.
He is involved with the Anthony Nolan Trust, which aims to match individuals willing to donate their blood stem cells or bone marrow to people with blood cancer and blood disorders who desperately need lifesaving transplants.
The organisation was set up in 1974 when Anthony Nolan (3) was in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. His mother Shirley set up the world's first register to match donors with people in desperate need.
It helps three people find a lifesaving match every day.
"My Dad went through a successful bone marrow transplant about 10 years ago and it really made us appreciate how important the bone marrow transplant register is," said Mr McGeough.
"He was lucky as his brother was a match, there's one in four chance of a sibling being a match, so he was lucky.
"But there are so many people who aren't just as lucky.
"And when you see how easy it is to check if you're a match, then there really should be no thinking about it.
"If you saw my dad now, he hasn't looked back."
Mr McGeough said he believes targetting young people at sporting venues such as GAA clubs can help increase the number of people on the bone marrow transplant register.
"My dad was 51 when he had his transplant, but the younger you are, the more successful it will be," he said.
"I play Gaelic for Coleraine club Eoghan Rua and I believe people who attend GAA clubs and play the game can be a great help as they're the target group in terms of age, from 16 to 30.
"We're keen to get into GAA clubs across the north, hoping they will get the Anthony Nolan Trust access to club members to get them signed up to the bone marrow register.
"It would simply be a night of just giving a talk to tell people what it's all about and then a recruitment night to get people signed up.
"We've already been into Ballinascreen GAC in Derry and we signed up 100 people in one night so that's one potential person saved."
Mr McGeough said the "more people we can encourage to join the register, the easier it will be for people to find the donor that could save their life".
"There's a lot of misconception out there about bone marrow transplants, it's so important we get the message out there," he said.
"It's about educating people, letting them know how they can help and how simple it is.
"We just want to give something back, my dad had a second chance at life so we just want to help others in the same way."
For further information, please email belfast@ukmarrow.org
