A great-grandfather who was dying of a rare blood cancer has met the complete stranger who saved his life. Robert Morgan was diagnosed in 2017 with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood cancer stopping the body from creating healthy cells.
The 67-year-old took part in a clinical trial before being told his only chance of surviving was to receive a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately he was one of the seven in 10 patients across the UK able to find a suitable match thanks to 30-year-old Tom Heaven.
Four years on from the transplant, the pair met each other at Llanerch Vineyard, near Pontyclun, in a moment Robert described as deeply emotional. "If it wasn't for Tom I wouldn't be here. I would have missed out on so much, including meeting my great-granddaughter," he said.
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Robert, from Aberbargoed, Caerphilly, admitted it was a "huge shock" to be diagnosed with cancer. " I went downhill quickly, became tired and struggled to work," he recalled.
But after finding out in 2018 that there was a donor match for him, he said he had renewed hope. "It's so difficult to describe the thought of 'I have a chance'," he added.
Donor Tom, from from Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, joined the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry while giving blood with the Welsh Blood Service. He explained: "When I first donated blood it was an option on a form and I ticked it and gave samples thinking that the chances of being matched were probably very slim.
"Two years later I got the call to say I was potentially a match with a patient. The process was made really simple for me. I was told what to do and where to go."
Following any bone marrow transplant, the recipient is not allowed to make contact with the donor for two years. However, as the coronavirus pandemic hit at the two-year mark their meeting did not take place for a further two years.
Commenting on their meeting, Robert said: "I didn't have a clue what to say. My first thoughts were 'should I shake his hand, or should I hug and kiss him?' Let's hope we're friends forever. He'll have to come to the house and meet my family."
Tom added: "To hear Robert's side of the story, knowing that I've helped save someone's life and knowing they can obviously spend more time with their family, is a really, really good thing."
Blood cancers stop the body's bone marrow from producing healthy blood cells. Typically, the last treatment option for blood cancer patients following radiotherapy and chemotherapy is to receive a bone marrow transplant.
Bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue found at the centre of certain bones in your body where blood stem cells live. Blood stem cells produce all your essential blood cells, such as red blood cells to carry oxygen and white blood cells to fight infection.
Head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Emma Cook, said: "The chances of being chosen as the perfect match for a patient anywhere in the world is extremely rare, but the opportunity to find a lifesaving match increases as more donors sign up."
Each year around 2,000 people in the UK and more than 50,000 across the globe hope to find a suitable bone marrow match from an unrelated donor. In excess of 70,000 active donors are currently on the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry panel, with over 2,500 new donors signing up in the last year.
Emma continued: "You could be the one and only person in the world who could be the match - which is why we need more people to sign up to the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry and increase a patient's chance of survival.
"It is easier than ever now to become a #ChilledOutLifesaver, as there are opportunities to register from home through a swab kit or by giving blood."
There are two ways 17 to 30-year-olds can join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry: from home by requesting a swab kit here or, like Tom, joining by giving blood with the Welsh Blood Service.
Robert concluded: "Be a donor. Be a hero. Because you will save somebody's life - and hopefully you will get to meet that person."
If you're aged 17 to 30, find out how you can join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry here or by calling 0800 252 266.
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