A woman who was told her chances of finding a bone marrow match were "16 million to one" miraculously beat the odds and was paired with a stranger. After four rounds of chemotherapy, Laura James' cancer came back, and she was told her only chance of beating the disease was by having a bone marrow transplant.
Unfortunately, no-one in Laura's family was a suitable match, so a worldwide search was launched to find a donor. It took four and a half months to find the perfect match with someone ten thousand miles away in Australia.
Laura, now 35, from Aberdare, said: “I know how lucky I am to find a match. The doctors at the time told me the chance of finding a match was 16 million to one. I experienced so many emotions knowing a selfless stranger was willing to save my life - joy, hope, anxiety; you name it! It’s why I’ve always been keen to share my story, as hard as it is to do, I want to help as many people as possible.”
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It has now been a decade since she overcame acute myeloid leukaemia and she marked her ten years all clear by ringing the bell in an emotional afternoon at Velindre Cancer Centre, where her treatment originally began. Blood cancers stop bone marrow from working correctly, and for these patients, the best hope of recovery is to receive blood products and, ultimately, a bone marrow transplant.
Registries across the globe are searched every day by clinicians looking for suitable bone marrow donor matches for their blood cancer patients who are desperately in need. Laura continued: “My life became transfusions of blood and platelets, hospital beds, hospital food, high doses of chemotherapy, and constant isolation. It was not the life I expected, but I was determined to get through it with a positive attitude and buckets full of strength until my donor was found.”
Laura has recently joined the Welsh Blood Service in a role where her first-hand experience of receiving blood, platelets and bone marrow is now helping her to call on more people to consider donating. She said: “As a cancer survivor, I can’t donate myself, which is why I’m dedicating my life to saving others.”
Across the world, over 50,000 patients a year hope to find a suitable bone marrow match from an unrelated donor. Christopher Harvey, head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, said: “For a patient like Laura, finding a matched donor on the Registry is priceless, but not everyone is as lucky as Laura. We need more volunteers, aged 17 to 30, to sign up to the Registry."
You can request a swab kit without leaving your home through the Welsh Blood Service website, or book to give blood and ask about it when you donate. Laura received her lifesaving bone marrow transplant at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, under Dr Keith Wilson, consultant haematologist and director of the South Wales Blood and Marrow Transplant Programme. For all the latest health news, click here.
Dr. Wilson said: “For many patients with blood cancer, a bone marrow transplant represents their only means of overcoming the disease. Only one in four patients will find a suitable match from a family member, meaning most patients, including Laura, depend on donations from unrelated volunteers on registries across the world.
“As a transplant consultant, it is very heartening to tell our patients we have ‘found a match!’ Laura is living proof of what can be achieved by the selfless donation of others. I’m thrilled that Laura is now encouraging others to join the Registry. I have no doubts her determination and enthusiasm will encourage many more people to become lifesavers.”
Laura added: “Joining the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry is truly a lifesaving gift. We want more people to talk about bone marrow donation and its lifesaving impact on people in need. So, whatever your age, please encourage that conversation with 17 to 30-year-olds.”
If you are aged between 17 and 30, visit welshblood.org.uk to start your journey in the fight against blood cancer. You are eligible to join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry panel if:
- You are aged 17 – 30
- You live in the United Kingdom
You haven't suffered from any of these conditions
If you aren’t eligible to join the Registry, you may still be able to donate blood or platelets by visiting welshblood.org.uk or by calling 0800 252 266.
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