Donated my cells to save a stranger’s life

TI’m proud of what I’ve done, but I don’t think there was much effort on my part

en years ago, I hadn’t even considered giving blood, let alone donating bone marrow. But after my mum, Flora, passed away from a short battle with acute myeloid leukaemia, I wanted to do something to help others struggling with the terrible disease.

With the encouragement of my then flatmate, I started donating blood and the sessions quickly became part of my regular routine.

One day, after donating my latest pint, I was sitting eating a Tunnock’s Teacake when I noticed a handful of leaflets on the table. I picked one up and it was for Anthony Nolan, a charity that matches potential stem cell donors to patients in need of a transplant.

I decided to apply. That was in April, 2010, and little did I know that I would be matched with a recipient within just a few weeks, and donating by the end of the year. Donations have to be made when the recipient is well enough to receive the stem cells, so we went through a few different dates before finally settling on Thursday, December 2, just over seven years after my mum, the inspiration for my donation, had passed away.

I had to go to my GP to have my blood tested in lots of different ways, checking whether I was a good enough match for the person I had been paired with, but eventually I was ready to make the journey to London to have the procedure.

There are risks with any hospital stay, especially when you’re being put under general anaesthetic, but I just kept thinking to myself:‘this could save someone’s life’. The operation seemed a very small inconvenience in comparison.

I was living in Stirling at the time while I completed my masters degree, so travelling down felt like having a bit of a holiday, and I even got to visit my brothers while I was there.

On the morning of the surgery, the doctors picked me up early from the hospital ward, and I was then put to sleep for the procedure. The whole process was finished in an hour, and I woke up in my room a few hours later.

I didn’t know whether I would be a bad memory from a difficult time or whether she would want to be a part of my life.

But we felt like close friends almost immediately. It’s strange going from not knowing each other to suddenly being friends, but something pulled us together, and now we plan on meeting at least a couple of times a year.

Becca – that’s her with me in the picture above – made the whole situation so real. She wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t made the choice to donate. I’m still quite speechless when I think about it.

While I’m proud of what I’ve done, I don’t think there was much effort on my part. I wanted to join the register for my mum, and it’s her who should get the credit for inspiring me.

I may have lost one really important person in my life, but as a result I’ve gained another.