About Us

Our history

Leukaemia UK was founded in 1977 by Derek Mitchell after his wife Isobel was treated for leukaemia at King's College Hospital in London. Originally named The Elimination of Leukaemia Fund, the charity supported the work of King's haematology department but grew to be able to offer grants to blood cancer specialists in hospitals across the UK.

Over the last 40 years we have helped to make groundbreaking changes to blood cancer care. Less than three decades ago, there were no beds dedicated to the care of leukaemia patients at King's and its haematology department was on the brink of closure.

Now, thanks to Leukaemia UK, there are four specialist blood cancer wards at King's, including the superb Leukaemia Treatment Suite which, fittingly, is named after our founder, Derek Mitchell.

Read more about our history here.

Our charity today

Many of the changes to blood cancer care pioneered by Leukaemia UK with King's are now routinely used by hospitals across the country.

Today Leukaemia UK is proud to be making a difference to people living with blood cancer by:

Funding essential emotional support
Offering vital help to ease financial worries
Funding innovative and effective research into better care and treatments for leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood disorders.
Working closely with hospitals and clinicians to improve care, including funding additional staff, paying for ward and room refurbishments and buying new blood cancer care equipment.

Thanks to the generous support of individual fundraisers, payroll givers and family trusts, Leukaemia UK has made a significant and lasting difference to leukaemia treatment in the UK.

Leukaemia UK relies entirely on your voluntary donations. Find out how to support us continue our important work.

Latest

Royal Parks Half for Leukaemia UK
In memory of Stephen Scollay

Stephen was diagnosed with Leukemia in the summer of 2017 and after extensive treatment during six months (at the hematology unit at Bretonneau Hospital in Tours, France where the medical staff cared for him in an exemplary way), he enjoyed a remission period of just nine months. In January he was told that he was no longer in remission and after a great visit to see family and friends in Japan, Australia and NZ and then the French alps, followed by a short period of treatment, he died
on 6
Andrew's Wish - A Cure for Leukaemia

In Andrew's memory, fundraising to cure leukaemia
Jessica’s Just Giving

I have entered the Buxton carnival day run on Saturday 13th of July in order to help raise money for Leukaemia UK. I will be doing my training with PUSH PT, Richard will be helping me work on my fitness levels and achieve my goals.