On this week’s Surprise Surprise, nine year old Domenic Doyle from Cornwall met Neil Lovell, the 37 year old dad from Northampton who saved his life by donating his bone marrow.
In 2009 Domenic’s parents, Amy and Michael, were devastated when Domenic was diagnosed with leukaemia. After six months of chemotherapy treatment at Bristol, Domenic was given the all clear and allowed to go home. Sadly, Domenic relapsed and in 2011 he was told that he needed a bone marrow transplant. As none of his family was a match for him, the doctors turned to blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan to try to find an unrelated donor.
Anthony Nolan uses its register to match potential bone marrow donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.
Michael, Domenic’s dad, says, ‘Domenic‘s cancer had turned our whole lives upside down. Anthony Nolan was trying to track down potential donors for Domenic’s bone marrow transplant and the doctors told us to prepare for the worst if we couldn’t find a donor. Finally, the doctors sat us down and said that they had found someone.’
That someone was Neil Lovell, a dad of four from Northampton. Neil had joined the bone marrow register in 2009, when there was an appeal for “Matt’s Match”, a campaign to find a bone marrow donor for 15 year old local boy Matt Herbert who had leukaemia. Anthony Nolan held recruitment events with Northampton Town Football Club, Northampton Saints Rugby Club and the Old Northamptonians Rugby Club.
Neil says, ‘Two years after joining the bone marrow register, I got a call to say that I was a match for someone. It was an overwhelming feeling knowing that I was able to help someone. I donated in March 2011 and it was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.’
Neil and his family met Michael, Amy, and Domenic for the first time on ITV’s Surprise Surprise.
Neil says, ‘The day that we met went so quickly. All I knew beforehand was that he was a nine year old boy called Domenic. It wasn’t until we met that I realised how ill he had been and what a difficult time his family had gone though. It was very emotional because his parents, Amy and Michael, were thanking me for saving their son’s life. I told them that it was one of the best things I’ve done but also one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. For me, Domenic is the real hero – he’s such a strong and friendly child and I’m just glad to have been able to play a part in his recovery.’
Michael says, ‘It’s difficult to put into words our feelings towards Neil. You can’t thank someone enough for doing something selfless and saving your son’s life. Neil is very humble and says that it’s no big deal but we wouldn’t be here as a family today without him and that’s the most important thing in the world.’
Ann O’Leary, Head of Register Development at Anthony Nolan, says, ‘This was an incredibly emotional meeting that moved everyone who watching. It’s amazing to think that Domenic wouldn’t be alive today without Neil – a stranger on the other side of the country who he had never met before. We need more young men to think like Neil and sign up as bone marrow donors so that there are more amazing stories like Domenic’s.’
For more information, please contact Amy Evans on 020 7424 6645 or email amy.evans@anthonynolan.org