Anthony Nolan - UK Blood Cancer Charity: The Silent Thank You

Britain is a nation famed for its politeness and good manners, with 'excuse me,' 'sorry,' 'please,' and 'thank you' being some of the nation's most commonly used expressions. However, new research has shown that despite saying 'thank you' to others 59 times a day, we struggle to find the words to express our gratitude when it matters most.
Agency: Rankin Films
In the average day, actions which trigger the word ‘thank you’ include holding a door open (69%), making a cup of tea (59%) or at the end of an email or phone call (48%). However, nearly half (46%) of Britons agree that in serious situations, like being helped through difficult times or being cared for during a physical illness, the words ‘thank you’ are not enough to express gratitude. The research by blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan, also shows that 50% of people have struggled to find adequate words to show their thanks when being helped through difficult times. When looking back on life’s important moments, parents (37%) ranked highly in the list of people we wish we’d given a more meaningful thank you. Grandparents (19%), friends (18%) and schoolteachers (15%) also made the list of those we wished we’d given a more meaningful ‘thank you’ to. To mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September 2019), the power and the limitations of saying ‘thank you’ are explored in a new series of films shot by world-renowned, portrait photographer, Rankin. His work sensitively captures the visible struggle as people who have received a life-saving stem cell transplant try to find the words to say ‘thank you’ to their donors, known or anonymous. Over 2,000 people a year in the UK need a stem cell transplant and Anthony Nolan is the leading charity that finds matching donors for people with blood cancer – and gives them a second chance of life.