On Friday 15th March Chester Netball are hosting 'Run or Walk... Every Km Counts' in aid of the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity. Come and join us between 10am and 4pm.

This charity has been chosen as it is very close to a member of our club.

Here is the story of Nathan Hall:

In March of 2015, 2 months after my 15th birthday, I was diagnosed with a form of cancer known as Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Within 48 hours of hearing this news, I was transported down to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. I put myself into a positive mindset and told myself there was little point in dwelling on what could’ve been. I called cancer’s bluff.

By mid-summer, 2015, I had battled through 4 rounds of intense chemotherapy which wiped me out completely - I was underweight, tired and primarily, bald. But finally, I was declared in a state of remission and allowed to return home. The next few months were scary for me, constant worrying if my cancer would return. Knowing the survival rates following relapse only made me overthink - much more than I should have. Nearly a year had passed, and my family had planned a two week break in Florida. Around a week before the planned dates for our holiday, I began feeling lethargic, so, I decided to air on the side of caution and get a blood test done. I biked 2 miles to the hospital, walked into the ward, and asked them to take a blood test. After confirming my history, they took it and I returned home. A week later I was on the train down to the airport when I suddenly get a call from the hospital telling me I need to come back in for more tests. I suspected at that moment, the cancer had returned and so I got off at the next station, returned home, and went back to the hospital.

I was transported, once again, back down to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital the results showed my cancer had relapsed. The next few weeks were relatively easy for me as I was already accustomed to the process and symptoms, but the news took a toll on my entire family. Everyone thought I was in the clear, but life always screws you over somehow.

Prof. Robert Wynn and his team proposed that I underwent a bone marrow transplant. After signing a consent form stating that I had understood this treatment could cause future cancers, or even death, I underwent conditioning chemotherapy in preparation for the transplant. However, from here I fell extremely ill with fluid on my lungs and impaired breathing. I was admitted to intensive care for several weeks.

After recovering, I was then ready for transplant. I was moved into a secure ward with specialised air filtration in each room, and its own controlled climate. For 6 months I was fed food which was devoid of any flavour from the intense heat it was subjected to in order to sterilise it.

After what seemed like an eternity of keeping myself occupied building model kits and playing computer games. I was ready for my transplant. On December 23rd The Anthony Nolan charity delivered my new bone marrow for transplantation and at the end of that day I officially had the immune system of a new-born baby. I was released a few months after recovering and ensuring everything had grafted correctly and without issues.

Fast forward to 2019, I am now 20 years old. I went back to college and got my GCSE qualifications and started a level 3 course. I have just applied to university to study Biomedical Science. This has enabled me to fulfil my passion to understand more about diseases and advancing treatments. Hard to think that two years ago I wasn’t sure if I was ever leaving hospital, it truly has been a life changing experience and I am so grateful to have be given a second chance. I will be forever grateful to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Teenage Cancer Trust, Anthony Nolan and Ward 84 for helping me battle cancer. I also cannot thank my family and friends enough for their support and sacrifices they made to be there for me during, and after my treatment.

Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to find a match donor through the Anthony Nolan Charity within only a few weeks. I urge everyone reading this to please sign up to Anthony Nolan’s bone marrow registry at: https://www.anthonynolan.org/ ; something as little as bag of blood can change someone’s life

Thank you,

Nathan Hall

Any donations to this event would be greatly appreciated.

#netbALLALLRUNTOGETHER