Glad I could help... Belfast man’s stem cell gift gives US stranger second chance at life
A BLOOD stem cell donor has spoken of the joy he felt after saving a stranger’s life.
Father-of-two Scott Wallace (36) from Glengormley underwent the procedure last year and is urging others to become “a lifesaver in waiting”.
He signed up as a donor in 2012 with the charity DKMS.
He explained: “As a child my cousin had always been ill before we realised he had blood cancer.
“When I signed up as a donor it was because of a child of my wife’s friend who needed a donation.”
Getting the call five years after registering, Scott was flown to London for tests in December 2017 to ensure he presented no risk to a recipient.
A week later he had an operation to take a sample of bone marrow, which happens in one in every 10 cases.
The remainder involve blood being taken from one of the donor’s arms and filtered for stem cells.
“You have an ache for a few days afterwards like you’ve been at the gym, and you can tire very easily, but I was back at work within a week,” said Scott.
He was later told his donation saved the life of a 44-year-old man in the United States.
“It’s the best result you can think of,” he said.
“It was a relief, as you do have the fear after the operation that it might not be successful for the recipient.”
For those who may feel squeamish about donating, Scott said the results made it a clear choice.
“You have to weigh it up against what it means to whoever will receive this,” he added.
“This is their chance of survival. They’re only going down this road when it’s the only possible option open to them.
Lifesaver: Scott Wallace
“You don’t know who they are. It could be someone else’s child or a young parent.
“It hits me when I’m at home playing with my kids. If they got sick in this way I would hope there would be a donor there.” Since his selfless act Scott has raised £1,000 for charity by running the Belfast half marathon.
He said: “After my personal experience, I could see how much work goes into setting up the donation.
“I wanted to raise awareness of the importance of blood stem cell donations and raise funds to help register even more donors.
“Cancer affects so many people and everyone knows someone who has been affected by it. A donation could really help to make a difference to someone with blood cancer or a blood disorder.
“It’s quite humbling to be a match and be able to help someone else.
“The actual process of doing it is really straightforward and my part was very easy — I just had to show up.
“There was no doubt I was going to do whatever it took, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Since DKMS launched in the UK in 2013 more than 400,000 blood stem cell donors have helped to give 600-plus people a second chance at life.
Caroline Richardson, head of fundraising at DKMS, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Scott.
“He’s a real hero from actually donating his own blood stem cells to a complete stranger, raising vital funds and helping spread awareness of DKMS.
“Thank you to everyone who registered and is helping to support the vital work we do.”
The cost of registering one potential blood stem cell donor is currently £40.
If you are aged between 17 and 55 and in good general health, you can register online for your home swab kit at www.dkms.org. uk and take the first steps in becoming a potential lifesaver.
Donations towards the charity can be made online at dkms.org. uk/donate-money.