Yorkshire mum Jayne Snell is celebrating one year since she received a lifesaving bone marrow transplant from a stranger. At the weekend, Jayne renewed her wedding vows with husband Martin and walked up the aisle with their children Matt, 17, and Jess, 15.
Jayne says, ‘Exactly one year since my transplant, my husband and I renewed our wedding vows in a very personal and emotional service. We walked up the aisle together with our children behind us. Throughout everything we’ve been through, all I ever wanted was to keep us as a family of four.’
In 2011, Jayne was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) which progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and doctors told her that she needed a bone marrow transplant to survive.
Commenting on the celebrations, Jayne says, ‘In the evening we had a big party with all our family and friends and were able to say to say thank you to them all for their love and support over the last year. The party is also a fundraiser for Anthony Nolan. I have such a lot of love for Anthony Nolan, for the part they played in saving my life.’
Jayne is now encouraging more people to join the bone marrow donor register.
Jayne says, ‘My donor was a 22 year old German man, a stranger, and yet he has given me the gift of life. If he had not donated his bone marrow then I would not be here today. What an amazing young man.’
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, says, ‘Jayne’s journey has been amazing and we’re all delighted that she is celebrating this wonderful milestone with her friends and family. Jayne’s donor has done an incredible thing in stepping forward and saving her life. Young men are the most likely to be chosen by doctors to donate, so it’s really important that more young men join the bone marrow register and help us save more lives of people with blood cancer.’
Find out more about joining the bone marrow register.
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