Internet Bands Together to Support Cancer Patient

Spoiler Alert: We've got both a heartwarming and heartbreaking story ahead. When a terminally ill cancer patient started a blog to chronicle her last few months, she had no idea she would become an overnight international hero. Three days after British 15-year-old Alice Pyne posted her “Bucket List" (a list of things she’d like to accomplish before she dies) online, her story captured so much attention that #AliceBucketList was one of the most popular topics on Twitter. (Yay, Internet!)

While Alice's Bucket List includes things like swimming with sharks and meeting her favorite band, her number one goal is motivating people to sign up for the bone marrow registry. Almost four years ago, Pyne was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that attacks the white blood cells. So far she's been unable to find a donor match for a bone marrow transplant, and she may only have weeks left to live. Her story is so inspiring that her national representative asked British Prime Minister David Cameron to call for people to join the bone marrow registry in the hopes of finding her and thousands of others a possible bone marrow donor.

Not only has the Prime Minister agreed to do all he can to support her cause, but the world is banding together to raise awareness. People began tweeting about her story to spread the word, consequently making #AliceBucketList one of the top phrases used on Twitter the morning of June 9th, even mentioned by the likes of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.

Becoming a bone marrow donor only requires a quick cheek swab to collect saliva, but a donor does have to be of 18 years of age. However, anyone can organize a bone marrow drive. Check back in October to register your drive with DoSomething.org’s soon-to-be-launched “Loogies for Life” campaign.

What Can You Do?

• Help support other disease patients by hosting an Organ Donor Drive.
• Organize a Hat Day at school to raise awareness about sun protection and skin cancer.
• Brush up on important facts about cancer.
• Get involved with a blood drive and donate blood. You can even make it Vampire-themed!