#BeingAnAndy: It’s all about the cheeks!

In June 2019, Andy was taken into hospital following a few weeks of back pain and a raised lump he had felt on his abdomen. Assumed to be a severe case of appendicitis, Andy was sent for immediate testing and scans, which two days later led to him being given a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Something that Andy, his family and his partner assumed was just appendicitis turned out to be the devastating reality of the start of his cancer journey.

Andy was the kindest and most generous person his friends had the honour to know. He was an incredibly passionate hairdresser, who planned to open his own hair salon a mere two weeks after he was diagnosed. He used his skills with hair and passion for helping others to develop his own charity, that enabled the homeless community to be given free haircuts by him on the streets of London. He had many goals in life, all of which centred around being charitable and looking out for those who needed help.

Andy faced an unimaginable amount of medical intervention, including chemotherapy, trial drugs, and CAR-T cell therapy, but throughout his journey, he never lost his infectious smile or cheeky sense of humour. Andy was told at the start of his cancer journey that his blood type was B+ and he used this as his motto for life, to get him and everyone around him through the hardest days. “Let’s all B POSITIVE” he would say.

The concept of not fighting hard enough to be able to beat cancer did not apply to Andy; he fought incredibly hard every day to overcome his diagnosis. He had so much to live for and desperately wanted to continue living the rich life that he envisaged for himself, to continue to be surrounded by his incredibly close and loving family and friends, to watch his niece grow up and to start a family with his partner.

Andy died on 14 December 2019, just over six months after he was diagnosed. He has truly left the most remarkable and inspirational legacy to everyone who was lucky enough to have met and known him.

Raising awareness about blood cancer was something Andy felt strongly about and he had planned to give back to charities like DKMS when he was better. He spoke with his mum about stem cell transplants, knowing that this could have been a possible next step for his treatment and that his friends and family would most definitely have offered to be tested for him.

Andy always used his charitable skills to show people that donating doesn’t always have to come in the form of money. For this reason, we encourage anyone who is eligible to register with DKMS, with the possibility that they could become a donor of something far more powerful than money; a second chance at life.

Through a quick and simple mouth swab, you could give someone the opportunity to survive blood cancer. You could be the one that allows a family the possibility of seeing their loved one continue their life and fulfil their dreams together.

Let’s do it for Andy, and help to save a life in his honour!!

If you are aged between 17-55, please register below to request a swab kit to be sent to your home and to potentially save a life!