In teams of 6, lifeguard friends and colleagues of Alex will attempt to swim the length of the English Channel as a relay in a swimming pool to raise money for the Anthony Nolan Trust, in memory of Alex Bryant. On the 17th of September we will cover a total distance of around 21 miles (or 1352 lengths of a 25m swimming pool).

For those of you who don’t know Alex’s story, here goes: In February 2017 Alex was diagnosed with AML leukaemia. After 8 rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant from his mum, Alex was declared fit and healthy. He returned to lifeguarding in 2019, where our friendships went from strength to strength.

Unfortunately, in 2019 Alex relapsed. He was just one chemotherapy away from full remission before the devastating effects of COVID destroyed all the work that the chemo had done. Tragically, Alex lost both his mum and his dad to COVID as well. He was in desperate need for another stem cell transplant, however due to him being of Thai origin, the chances of him finding a match were extremely slim (there are simply not enough mixed race or minority background donors currently on the stem cell registry).

In 2020 Alex was lucky enough to receive another stem cell transplant which gave him 4 months of health before the horrific disease returned. The leukaemia spread to his brain and spinal cord, despite months of chemotherapy and another stem cell transplant in 2022 on his 25th birthday. Alex courageously fought for months and outlived all expectations. He was sadly taken from us on the 20th of March 2023.

Everyone who has the pleasure of knowing Alex will without a doubt say that he is larger than life. His drive and determination, and his compassion and care for others is something we can all draw from. His willingness to help others, while faced with so much adversity, is truly admirable. It is therefore up to us to continue the hard work that Alex started to beat this dreadful disease.

Anthony Nolan is an incredible charity that saves the lives of people living with blood cancer. Because of their unwavering support, Alex outlived what he was supposed to. If you are unable to donate, please consider signing up to be a stem cell donor. It is very quick and easy, and you never know - you could end up saving the precious life of someone like Alex.