Pontypool RFC is pulling out all the stops to try and find a donor for Wales Sevens international Ethan Davies, who urgently needs a stem cell transplant after being diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer.
The 28-year-old full-back is undergoing chemotherapy and will need another course of the treatment later this year and a stem cell transplant, but nobody in Davies' family has proved to be a match.
His story, which you can read about here, has prompted widespread registration and awareness of becoming a blood donor, and Pontypool RFC will be hosting a swabbing event on Saturday, September 10, with blood cancer charity DKMS in a bid to identify a match. People will be able to join the blood stem cell register and donate to DKMS, a charity dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders.
Davies represented Wales on the Sevens World Series circuit between 2015 and 2020, holding a full-time Sevens contract during that period. He was one of the nation's most prolific scorers on the circuit and also represented his country at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
He had signed for Pontypool RFC in the Welsh Championship after finishing with the Sevens programme and was training as an electrician, but has been diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Ben Jeffreys, chief executive of Pontypool RFC, said: "Everybody at Pontypool RFC is hugely grateful for the incredible demonstration of support and willingness displayed by all those who have played their part in sharing Ethan’s story and registering to become a potential donor.
"Whilst the initial public response has been incredibly positive and many people have registered to become a potential donor, we will not rest until a match is found for Ethan. We are hugely thankful for what the team at DKMS have done in mobilising rapidly to set up a testing session and we would encourage anybody who meets the criteria to attend the match and register to become a potential donor.
"Ethan and his family are fantastic people and we continue to hope that Ethan’s treatment will be successful and that a donor can be urgently found. Our thoughts remain with Ethan and his family and we will continue to do everything we can as a club and a community to offer as much support as possible during this very difficult time."
Reshna Radiven, head of communications and engagement at DKMS, added: "We were saddened by Ethan’s news and that’s why we need as many people to join the register as possible. The more people we have on the register, the more chance that there’s a donor who could be a potential lifesaver for Ethan or someone with blood cancer."
If you are aged 17-55 and in good general health, you’ve got it in you to be a potential lifesaver for someone with blood cancer. Start by registering online for your home swab kit at www.dkms.org.uk/register-now.
When announcing his diagnosis, Davies said: "For those that don't already know, I have been diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T cell Lymphoma. It's a very rare form of cancer that is affecting my liver and spleen.
"To beat this I'm going to need a stem cell transplant and for that to happen I need to find a donor. So the more people I can reach with this, the better chance I have of finding a match. Not only that, if you aren't a match for me you could be for someone else and save their life.
"Initially I had no intentions of posting anything on social media about this but after thinking things over it makes more sense to do so. The more people that sign up, the more matches they will find for others as well.
"Even if one person finds a match from me doing this it will have made a difference. It's easy to join the donor list, you simply have to sign up and return a mouth swab that is sent to you in the post. If you are able to get tested, my family and I will be forever grateful. Tough few months ahead."
The swabbing event is being held at Pontypool RFC on Saturday, September 10, from 12.30pm-2.30pm.
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