Jayne Snell was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) which progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. She had a successful bone marrow transplant in July 2012 and would like to say thank you to the volunteers who join the register and donate their bone marrow.
Jayne says, ‘If my donor had not donated his bone marrow then I would not be here today. My husband would not have a wife and my children would not have a mum. There are currently 37,000 people worldwide who are waiting for a transplant. They are just waiting for that phone call to say someone has joined the register who is a match. What a horrible position to be in. The more people that join the register, the more people have that chance at life. Donating is not a difficult procedure, most of the time it’s similar to giving blood.
‘When I hear about people donating their bone marrow, it makes me want to say the hugest thank you; you are giving the best gift of all, you could be giving someone their life back. Thank you seems like such a small word, but it really does come from the bottom of my heart. You have done an amazing thing, you have given the gift of life to a stranger. Remember that for the rest of your life and feel proud.
‘If you are considering joining the register then please do. It is just a simple way and you could save somebody’s life. You will have a fantastic feeling knowing that you have given the gift of life to someone. What an amazing feeling to carry with you for the rest of your life.’
If you have been inspired by Jayne’s story to become a bone marrow donor, find out more information here. We urgently need more young men aged 16–30 to sign up to the register.
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