A dad saved another man's life despite living thousands of miles away
In 2005 Jacek Lubczynski found a lump on his neck that was suspected to be cancerous. Having spent time in hospital alongside diagnosed patients, Jacek realised the "brutal reality" of how cancer affects people and their families. After being given the all-clear by doctors he wanted to give something back.
He signed up to the donor register DKMS and began to move on with his life. Jacek who is from Poland came to Liverpool, got married, and forgot he had signed up.
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That was until 2019 and while sitting on his couch late one night he received a call to say DKMS had found a match. Petar a Bulgarian man in his 20s had been diagnosed with Leukemia and needed a stem cell transplant and Jacek knew what he had to do.
Speaking to the ECHO Jacek said: "They might never call you which is good because there is no one with cancer. But when I got the call I knew I had to help, I had no choice.
"I did not know Petar but I thought about a young man with a life, maybe a family, and, what would happen if I did not do it. So I did all the tests and gave blood in Sheffield."
For two years Jacek from Norris Green, heard nothing about Petar and his condition, he did not even know his name. Petar then got in contact and the two arranged to meet over Zoom in 2022. Jacek said speaking to the man he had helped saved was like being with "family" and they decided to go on holiday together in Corfu.
Jacek an IT engineer said: "We felt like a family and we have a bond after what we had been through. I had some injections but he is a survivor. The first time I saw him it was amazing, he was alive, healthy, and smiling at me.
"It was a touching moment I felt like we had been reunited and now we have an unusual history that links us together. I feel like an older brother to him. Just seeing him made everything worth it and if I was asked to do it again I would, without hesitation."
Petar is now studying to become a doctor in his native Bulgaria and has promised to come to Liverpool for Jacek's 40th birthday.
DKMS recruits blood stem cell donors, provides second chances at life for those in need of a transplant, and raises funds to cover donor registration costs. If you would like to find out more click here.
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