In February 2018 I rapidly became critically ill with a blood disorder called HLH. Within 10 days I went from being an active PE teacher to being put into an induced coma with multiple organ failure and a 35% chance of survival. Thankfully the Drs at Addenbrookes hospital quickly diagnosed my illness and immediately started looking for a stem cell donor. Through the hard work Anthony Nolan do in creating stem cell donor registers, I was fortunate enough to find a donor from Germany. I had a full stem cell transplant which was organised by the Anthony Nolan charity in September 2018. 6 years on and I’m back to full fitness, full time PE teaching and it all feels like a distant memory. I’m running in the London Landmarks Half Marathon to finally give back something to a charity that saved my life!

What do the Anthony Nolan charity do?

Anthony Nolan’s world-leading stem cell register, groundbreaking cell and gene therapy research and expertise in stem cell transplants means they currently help four patients a day in need of a transplant, giving more people, like me, another chance to live. Driven by patients, backed by stem cell donors, powered by science, and with your support, they won’t stop until we’ve uncovered the lifesaving potential of the cells inside us all, and every patient can survive and thrive like me.