A few hours – a world of hope
Newport dad David donates his stem cells to give a stranger more time with their family.
“It’s not just one person but their whole family that’s affected when someone gets a cancer diagnosis."
An urgent appeal to find a stem cell donor, after little Marley Nicholls was diagnosed with a rare blood disease in his home town of Newport, was what spurred construction worker David Llewellyn Rice, 32, to sign up to the stem cell register with DKMS. That was six years ago.
Excited to help
"Then when I got a call from DKMS to say I was a potential match for someone, at first I thought it was a hoax! Luckily DKMS were able to reassure me,” he remembers.
"I felt excited that I might be able to help someone. I thought: it’s just a couple of hours of your time.”
Sadly, David had already seen and experienced first-hand the impact cancer can have not just on patients but everyone who cares for them. Just before DKMS called, the wife of a work colleague underwent stem cell treatment following a blood cancer diagnosis. His mother’s sister, his aunt, also tragically died with cancer 22 years ago when David was a boy -- she was just 31 years old.
“It’s not nice to see someone you know going through that, and you just want to feel you can do something to help” says David.
Travelling to donate
The vast majority of stem cell donations are made through a simple, outpatient procedure at a clinic, similar to donating blood platelets.
David travelled with his partner to London recently to donate his stem cells, and managed to fit in some sightseeing – including a ride on an open-top bus – before the big day. Happily, David’s employers were really understanding about his decision to donate: DKMS paid all his expenses and ensured he was not out of pocket for taking time off work.
“Everyone at the clinic was great,” says David. They were able to harvest so many stem cells from me in my first donation session that I didn’t have to go back for the scheduled second one.
Sending hope overseas
Strict regulations protect the anonymity of stem cell donors and their recipient, so for now all David knows is that his stem cells went to an older woman from the Czech Republic. He’s in the process of writing her an anonymous letter, which DKMS will forward on, along with his gift of a little teddy bear.
“It made me think about how it’s not just one person but their whole family that is affected when someone gets a cancer diagnosis."
Inspiring action
David has also been sharing details of his amazing donation on his Facebook page, to encourage others to join the stem cell register. You too could be the perfect match for someone in need of a second chance at life, so why not register today?
