Stem cells from a woman in Australia saved my life

A blood cancer survivor has said there can "never be enough words" to express thanks to a stem cell donor in Australia who saved her life.

Alison Belsham, 57, from Newport, was diagnosed with leukaemia for the second time in 2017, prompting a worldwide search to find a bone marrow donor.

On the other side of the world, 31-year-old Rachel Rees, who is originally from Llanelli, in Carmarthenshire - only about an hour's drive from Newport - was found.

"When I found out it was literally somebody down the road, so to speak... that was just incredible," said Alison, who is now cancer-free.

"There can never be enough 'thank yous'. There can never be enough words to express somebody doing something like that," she added.

After Alison was first diagnosed with leukemia, she said five rounds of chemotherapy had appeared to be successful.

However, after a year and a half in remission, her doctor told her that her cancer had returned.

"The news was absolutely devastating for me and my family," she said.

Alison recalled her doctor informing her that a stem cell transplant was "the last hope" of saving her life, and the global search began.

A stem cell transplant – also known as a bone marrow transplant – is a procedure that replaces damaged blood cells with healthy ones - used to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases.

Christopher Harvey, head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, said blood cancer patients face an "increasingly urgent" search for a suitable stem cell match.

"The requirements for matching a patient with a donor are very specific, but the opportunity to find a life-saving match increases as more volunteers sign up," he said.

'I now get the chance to live a full life'

After Rachel was identified, and Alison's transplant was successful, Alison had a two year wait before she was able to request her donor's details.

The fact that Rachel is originally from south Wales, like Alison, the Welsh Blood Service said was "incredibly rare", as donors are usually found through an international database.

In February of this year Alison arranged to meet Rachel when she returned to Llanelli from Australia, where she now lives.

"I now get the chance to live a full life, spend precious time with my children and see my grandson grow up," Alison said.

Rachel said she decided to donate stem cells because her father had relied on donors, having suffered with ill-health for much of his life.

To mark World Marrow Donor Day, the pair are now calling on people to join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, as part of efforts to combat blood cancer.

"If it wasn't for kind donors, [my father] wouldn't be around today – so it means everything to me," she said.

She also described Alison as "absolutely amazing".

"Whatever I went through, she's gone through way worse. She's a fighter, she's strong," she said.

"I'm so thankful she reached out to me."