No regrets for Connor

‘It was sort of exciting and nerve-racking all at once’

Connor Bowen, 26, joined the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register in 2012 while studying for his degree at the University of Dundee.

Three years later, he found himself in London donating his cells through the peripheral blood stem cell collection (PBSC) procedure.

Speaking to the Tele, Connor said he hadn’t expected to be matched to someone and added: “I had just joined the register because a friend of mine was part of the university’s Anthony Nolan Marrow group and he said he needed people to sign up.

“I hadn’t expected to get an email at all.”

Donating stem cells is a proven way of combating blood cancers such as leukaemia but when healthy stem cells are donated a patient’s immune system is essentially reset to encourage the body to produce healthy blood.

Joining the register involves applying for an Anthony Nolan “spit kit”, a small tube you spit into and send back to the charity, which then carries out DNA analysis.

Connor received news of his match in 2014 and was asked to submit a blood sample and visit London.

He added: “It was sort of exciting and nerve-racking, all at once.

“People were telling me it was painful, which is one of the myths that goes about, but I thought it was probably a lot more painful for the person at the other end.”

Connor spent four hours in London’s University College Hospital for the PBSC process, adding: “I’m not bothered about needles and I’d been told before it I’d feel a bit stiff and tired, which is exactly how I felt.”

Connor’s cells were packaged up and sent to help treat someone overseas. They later died but Connor said he has no regrets over his donation.

A DUNDEE PhD student who donated his stem cells to someone with blood cancer said he “never expected to be chosen” for the procedure.

Connor Bowen, 26, donated his stem cells and called for others to do the same.