robert duff
Roberts beat 140 holes
Fundraising for Anthony Nolan
Story
Robert Duff Story
There aren't many people who can say they have saved the lives of three strangers, but Robert Duff, 56, from Fife has the honour of being one of them.
Robert's lifesaving journey began in November 1986 when he was 21. The Round Table held a recruitment event for the Anthony Nolan register in his local shopping centre as part of a campaign to recruit 100,000 new donors in just six weeks.
The campaign hit its target, and Robert was one of tens of thousands of people to sign up as potential bone marrow donors for people with blood cancer.
Since then, he has gone on to donate bone marrow to three different people, and in the process has made some lifelong friends.
Robert's first bone marrow donation took place five years after joining the register, in September 1991. Describing the procedure, Robert said, “it did feel like someone had kicked me in the back, but it wasn't too bad!”.
Four years later Robert met the recipient of his cells, a Danish pilot named Michael. Despite coming from different countries, Robert nevertheless found they had much in common.
“We had such a good laugh, and got on really well together because we were so alike. We both loved football and things like that. I went to Denmark to meet him then he came and stayed with me twice in the UK – my mum and dad were so excited about meeting him and I'm still in contact with his wife and son. He survived until 1998, so I know I gave him seven more years of life and a chance to see his son grow up. You can see the difference a transplant makes”.
Robert's second donation took place three years after the first, to a man in Liverpool. Unfortunately, the patient contracted pneumonia in hospital and passed away soon after.
In 2001 Robert was called on to donate his bone marrow for a remarkable third time, this time to a young child in France. In an unlucky coincidence, the donation date was scheduled for 13 September, the day after the terrorist attacks in the USA.
“I was due to fly to London the next day to get to the hospital but I got a call from Anthony Nolan saying they didn't know if the airspace would be open. They got me train tickets just in case but I was able to fly in the end – it was scary though”.
Due to strict rules at the registry in France, Robert has never been able to get in touch with the recipient, although he did receive a letter five years later from the recipient thanking him.
Since then Robert has focused his energies on fundraising for Anthony Nolan.
“I know the difference transplants can make, and I thought why not combine things I enjoy with raising money. I'm aiming for one fundraising activity a year and try to do something different each time”.
“I've done abseils, a cross country cycle, I've run the London marathon twice and the New York marathon once, I've done a 12 hour pool marathon, held football matches and a charity night and just last August I played 100 holes of golf in one day. The cross country cycle was supposed to be 39 miles but the bike seat fell off halfway through and I couldn't sit down, so I gave up after 26 miles! I had only intended to run two marathons however, after the third transplant, I vowed that I would do a third marathan as the patients have to go through such a marathon treatment process, and I felt it was the least I could do, to actually run a marathan, as, in this case, that was so much easier.
Thirty years after the first recruitment campaign, the Round Table is aiming to raise awareness of the Anthony Nolan register once more, and in particular wants to recruit more young men as potential donors.
2 years ago at the height of the pandemic, July 2020, I completed 140 holes, this year, as close to midsummer's day as possible, I'm hoping to beat that....like everyone else, I'm not getting any younger 😁, so, whilst I still can, I will keep trying..., finally, if anyone is thinking of joining the register then just do it. It's so worthwhile and the reward of knowing you've helped someone is fantastic.
There aren't many people who can say they have saved the lives of three strangers, but Robert Duff, 56, from Fife has the honour of being one of them.
Robert's lifesaving journey began in November 1986 when he was 21. The Round Table held a recruitment event for the Anthony Nolan register in his local shopping centre as part of a campaign to recruit 100,000 new donors in just six weeks.
The campaign hit its target, and Robert was one of tens of thousands of people to sign up as potential bone marrow donors for people with blood cancer.
Since then, he has gone on to donate bone marrow to three different people, and in the process has made some lifelong friends.
Robert's first bone marrow donation took place five years after joining the register, in September 1991. Describing the procedure, Robert said, “it did feel like someone had kicked me in the back, but it wasn't too bad!”.
Four years later Robert met the recipient of his cells, a Danish pilot named Michael. Despite coming from different countries, Robert nevertheless found they had much in common.
“We had such a good laugh, and got on really well together because we were so alike. We both loved football and things like that. I went to Denmark to meet him then he came and stayed with me twice in the UK – my mum and dad were so excited about meeting him and I'm still in contact with his wife and son. He survived until 1998, so I know I gave him seven more years of life and a chance to see his son grow up. You can see the difference a transplant makes”.
Robert's second donation took place three years after the first, to a man in Liverpool. Unfortunately, the patient contracted pneumonia in hospital and passed away soon after.
In 2001 Robert was called on to donate his bone marrow for a remarkable third time, this time to a young child in France. In an unlucky coincidence, the donation date was scheduled for 13 September, the day after the terrorist attacks in the USA.
“I was due to fly to London the next day to get to the hospital but I got a call from Anthony Nolan saying they didn't know if the airspace would be open. They got me train tickets just in case but I was able to fly in the end – it was scary though”.
Due to strict rules at the registry in France, Robert has never been able to get in touch with the recipient, although he did receive a letter five years later from the recipient thanking him.
Since then Robert has focused his energies on fundraising for Anthony Nolan.
“I know the difference transplants can make, and I thought why not combine things I enjoy with raising money. I'm aiming for one fundraising activity a year and try to do something different each time”.
“I've done abseils, a cross country cycle, I've run the London marathon twice and the New York marathon once, I've done a 12 hour pool marathon, held football matches and a charity night and just last August I played 100 holes of golf in one day. The cross country cycle was supposed to be 39 miles but the bike seat fell off halfway through and I couldn't sit down, so I gave up after 26 miles! I had only intended to run two marathons however, after the third transplant, I vowed that I would do a third marathan as the patients have to go through such a marathon treatment process, and I felt it was the least I could do, to actually run a marathan, as, in this case, that was so much easier.
Thirty years after the first recruitment campaign, the Round Table is aiming to raise awareness of the Anthony Nolan register once more, and in particular wants to recruit more young men as potential donors.
2 years ago at the height of the pandemic, July 2020, I completed 140 holes, this year, as close to midsummer's day as possible, I'm hoping to beat that....like everyone else, I'm not getting any younger 😁, so, whilst I still can, I will keep trying..., finally, if anyone is thinking of joining the register then just do it. It's so worthwhile and the reward of knowing you've helped someone is fantastic.