Roehampton Campaigner Features in ITV Documentary
Yaser Martini highlighting need for more ethnic minority organ donors
The launch event for the documentary in Parliament
July 11, 2025
A documentary due to air on ITVX next month features a man from Roehampton who has been campaigning to improve awareness of the urgent need for more ethnic minority and mixed-heritage donors.
Chasing the Odds includes contributions from Yaser Martini who lost his daughter Margot in 2014 after she had to wait too long for a stem cell donor. Since then, he has dedicated himself to campaigning through the Team Margot Foundation and has played a key role in supporting the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ethnicity, Transplantation and Transfusion.
Yaser recently visited Parliament for the launch of the trailer for the documentary recently. The film tells the powerful and emotional story of a man diagnosed with cancer and given just seven years to live—unless a matching stem cell donor could be found. Due to his mixed heritage, the odds were heartbreakingly low.
His MP Fleur Anderson is supporting her constituent as he continues his long-standing campaign.
She said, “Yaser’s strength in turning personal grief into action is incredibly moving. His work through Team Margot has shone a light on a health inequality that too often goes unnoticed. Chasing the Odds tells a story that needs to be heard.”
The APPG’s recent report revealed that patients from mixed-heritage and ethnic minority backgrounds are far less likely to find a donor match than white patients, despite being more likely to need transplants due to underlying health conditions. The film and the campaign both highlight the pressing need for better awareness, education and representation across the donor system.
Chasing the Odds will be available to stream on ITVX from August 2025, aiming to spark a national conversation about donor diversity, health inequality, and the simple actions people can take to save lives.
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