A Bradford hospital professional has donated his stem cells to help save the life of a patient with blood cancer.
Could you imagine offering a stranger a second chance at life? That is what General Manager, Alex Overton who works at Bradford Royal Infirmary, did when he signed up to a stem cell register after being inspired working for the NHS and being a blood donor for many years.
Mr Overton, from Brighouse, said: “For patients who are critically unwell with blood cancers, without treatment they are less likely to survive so with working in the NHS, I want to do all I can to help people, he said.
“I think the most precious thing you can do is to give people more time with the family, kids and friends and if I can do it for one patient then I feel like I am making a difference to their lives.
“I’m a fit and healthy 28-year-old so it’s the least I can do, and I’d like to think someone would do it for me if I needed it.”
Mr Overton is now encouraging others to sign up to the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry after being identified as a match and donating to a patient with blood cancer.
He joined the registry three years ago and when they reached out to him last September to investigate whether he was a match for a critically unwell patient, he didn’t hesitate.
“I had to provide 12 blood samples in September – which were sent off for testing in the UK and USA – before being asked to complete further medical screening examinations in December. I then heard I was the perfect patient match,” he continued.
“In the run-up to the transplant in January, I had to self-administer injections in the four days prior to help stem cell growth in advance.
“I then went to the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) Therapeutic Apheresis Services team at Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital to make the donation. The average donation is five million stem cells but I donated 7.1million. A couple of days later, the patient received my stem cells, but I know nothing about them, other than they were critically unwell and a transplant was their best chance of survival and potentially cure.”
He continued: “I’d encourage others to donate. It’s rare to be found as a match but if you are, the only sacrifice you need to give is your time. It’s pain-free – like giving a blood donation but for a little longer.”
The NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry connects people in need of stem cell transplants with potential stem cell donors. The registry maintains a list of volunteer stem cell donors who are willing to donate their cells to patients with conditions like leukaemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers or disorders.
A part of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), the registry is one many global registries (three in the UK), working collaboratively to help find a match for every patient who needs one and make stem cell donation as accessible as possible, as the likelihood of finding a perfect match is higher when a person shares the same ethnicity.
A stem cell transplant involves replacing damaged or diseased blood cells with healthy stem cells. These stem cells are responsible for producing blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) in the body.
Mr Overton’s stem cells were collected during a six-hour donation which works a bit like a blood donation, only longer. A cannula was inserted into each arm; one removed blood which is then spun to separate the stem cells, while another pumps the blood back into the body.
Recovery from the procedure takes 24-to-72 hours and Mr Overton’s symptoms included fatigue and tiredness “which isn’t much when you consider what you are doing for someone else”.
The collected stem cells are infused into the patient’s bloodstream through an intravenous (IV) line a week later. The stem cells travel to the bone marrow, where they begin to grow and produce new blood cells.
If you’re interested in joining the registry or learning more about it, you can visit: www.blood.co.uk/stemcells for more details on the process and eligibility criteria.