Heartwarming moment cancer survivor came face to face with person who saved her

A cancer survivor set up a surprise meeting with the stem cell donor who saved her life. Alison Belsham, 57, and donor Rachel Rees, 31, met for the first time in a heartwarming moment caught on camera.

Rachel flew home from Australia expecting to visit friends and loved ones in her hometown of Llanelli, Wales. But unknown to her, Rachel’s family and her stem cell recipient Alison arranged a surprise get-together for the pair to meet.

The two were ‘matched’ after an urgent worldwide search took place in 2017 after Alison from Newport in Wales was diagnosed with leukaemia for a second time. The transplant Alison received used Rachel’s healthy donor stem cells to replace her own cancer-causing cells. Since then Alison has been cancer-free.

Alison and Rachel are hoping their story will encourage more people to sign up with the Welsh Blood Service and help in the fight against blood cancer. Speaking of her illness, Alison said: “My initial treatment involved five rounds of chemotherapy, which appeared to be successful. After a year and a half in remission however, I had a phone call to say that my cancer had returned. The news was absolutely devastating for me and my family as the future, once again, became uncertain. My doctor explained to me how important it now was to find a donor because a stem cell transplant was the last hope of saving my life.”

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Despite over 40 million stem cell volunteers across the world, three in ten patients will not find a suitably matched donor. Rachel said: “I am so proud of her, proud of her recovery, proud of her tenacity and I am just so thankful that she reached out to meet me. I am so glad to see Alison happy and healthy, having our families meet has been so, so special.’’

Alison explained: “There can never be enough ‘thank you’s’, there can never be enough words to express somebody doing something like that. I now get the chance to live a full life, spend precious time with my children and see my grandson grow up.’’

Head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Christopher Harvey, said: “Blood cancer patients around the world face a daily, and 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.”

“If you’re 16-30 from a Caucasian background or 16-45 from a black, Asian, mixed race or minority ethnic background, you could be the one person in the world who could be the match – and that’s why we are urging more people to sign up to our Registry and help people like Alison in their greatest time of need.”

“It’s never been easier to join. Whether you’re eligible, or know someone who might be, please talk about this life-changing Registry and help give more patients a chance to overcome their illness.”

There are two ways to join the Welsh Blood Service’s bone marrow registry, by requesting a swab kit online delivered to your home or whilst giving blood. To support or sign up, visit welshblood.org.uk

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