In January 2008 I was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anaemia - a bone marrow disease for which a transplant offered the best 'cure'. However my only sibling (my sister) did not prove to be a suitable match and a check against all the international donor lists did not produce a single match either and so alternative therapies were pursued.

5 years on, after lots of ups and downs, many dozens of hospital stays and visits, numerous infections (bacterial, viral and fungal), serious complications and over 100 units of blood, I had reached the point where a bone marrow transplant had become a necessity.

In Jan 2013 the first check against the register produced a suitable match - a 19 year old international donor after no option was found in the UK.  My first (bone marrow) transplant failed and my donor in a matter of a few months donated (stem cells) a second time for me, this time after months in isolation the new cells finally successfully grafted. Incredibly she had only gone onto the register a few weeks before she got the call. I was very lucky.

It's taken my body two years to recover from the transplants after some serious complications and 18 months of constant infections and setbacks but now I'm finally getting back to normal. The marathon is a way to raise funds to help Anthony Nolan raise awareness and attract more donors to help save more lives. Of course it also allows me to prove I can do it after all the problems & illnesses but also hopefully to encourage others that they can too - that there is a way back to 'normality' after these awful diseases.

We have had two little children since my first transplant, in fact my daughter was born one week after I came out of hospital after my first transplant. Without this technology, and the amazing selfless young person who put herself forward to provide this lifeline for me, I would probably have lost the chance to see my children grow up. 

In sharing my story, which I'm aware sounds pretty bad, I am actually a little embarrassed because I know I have been fortunate. Over the 8 years I have been going to the hospital, many people who I have met and a good few who I would like to hope became friends have had a harder time than me and some have not survived. But if in sharing my story it helps raise awareness & funds and ultimately get more people on the register and save more lives, it is worth it.

Anthony Nolan needs funds to raise awareness to attract new donors and carry out the mechanics of managing the donor register as well as the process of donation. It is a charity that saves lives all the time, the lives of little children and old children like me.

Please give generously, and go on the bone marrow register, maybe you will save give someone their future back.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.