A grandfather from Anstey has been diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder and needs a bone marrow transplant.
John Sutherington, who is being treated at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, is appealing for people to join the Anthony Nolan donor register in case they are a match for him or someone else who needs a bone marrow transplant.
His friends and family are holding a recruitment event on 9th April where people will be able to join the register.
John's story
John, 64, lives with his partner Lynda in Anstey and is a much-loved character in the village. He is affectionately nicknamed by locals as the “Lord Mayor of Anstey” and has been serving as a Councillor for Charnwood Borough since 1999.
In October 2012, he had decided to improve his fitness and started going to the gym once a week. As the weeks went by, John found that instead of getting fitter, he felt worse than before and was breathless after just five minutes on the treadmill.
Family man John with daughter Gemma
In early 2013, John went to the doctor and had a blood test. That evening at 11.20pm, he had a call from the doctor who said that he needed to come in for further tests.
John was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anaemia and told that his best chance at survival would be to have a bone marrow transplant.
John says, “When the doctor called so late at night, I knew that something was wrong. He said that there was no need to worry but that I needed to have some further tests. I had been fit and healthy otherwise, so it really was a bit of a shock.”
Another shock came for John’s friends and family on 13th April 2013 when he had a serious heart attack. John underwent a triple bypass which meant that his body was too weak to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
Instead, John has been having regular blood and platelet transfusions to help his immune system. Without a bone marrow transplant, John has been in and out of hospital for infections and viruses which might cause no more than a cold for someone with a healthy immune system.
The search is on for a matching donor
John is now healthy enough to undergo a bone marrow transplant and the search is on for a matching donor. His doctors contacted us, and we're now searching worldwide registers to find a matching donor for John.
John says, “Without a matching donor, I won’t be able to have a transplant. I didn’t realise before how important it is that people join the bone marrow donor register. I’m hoping that there is someone out there who is a match for me. We are holding the recruitment event so that local people have the opportunity to join the register. If someone who joins comes up as a match for me that would be great, but they could be a match for anyone who needs a transplant so it’s really important that people join.”
John’s friends and family are organising a recruitment event with us ncourage local young people to sign up as donors. People aged 16–30 can join the bone marrow donor register by simply filling in a form and providing a saliva sample. Local residents can sign up at the event or online here.
Recruitment event details:
Wednesday 9th April
3pm-8pm
The Anstey Nomads Football Ground, Anstey, Leicester, LE7 7BP
Sarah Roulstone, Regional Register Development Manager at Anthony Nolan, says, “When someone needs a bone marrow transplant, it is usually their best chance at survival. We need more people to step forward as donors so that we can find matches for people in need of a transplant. What many people don’t realise is just how simple it is to be a donor. Registering as a donor simply involves providing a saliva sample. If you are found to be a match for someone like John, the donation procedure is usually similar to giving blood.”
How you can help
If you can't make the recruitment event, you can sign up online here. If you don't fit the criteria for the register, find out other ways to help here.