A 23-year-old Manchester PhD student from Stoke-on-Trent is defying odds by taking on a marathon just two years after the bone marrow transplant which saved his life. The bone marrow transplant is a serious procedure which replaced Ryan Tunstall’s whole immune system and often takes years to recover from.
Ryan is now determined to raise awareness about bone marrow donation as well as raising vital funds for charity, and on the 13th April, he'll take on the Virgin Money London Marathon for us.
Ryan running in our Marrowthon event
Ryan's Story
In 2011, Ryan was visiting his parents in Stoke-on-Trent in the University holidays when he became ill and was admitted to hospital. Blood tests revealed that the previously fit and well 21-year-old had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. At the time, Ryan was studying Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London, enjoying gliding in his free time, and looking forward to the great job he had been offered after graduation.
Ryan says, “It came as a huge shock, you never think that anything like that will ever happen to you. Unfortunately the first round of chemotherapy made me very sick but had no effect on the leukaemia. My only chance was a much stronger chemotherapy regime followed by a bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow registers, such as Anthony Nolan, set to work around the world and I was incredibly fortunate to be matched to a donor from Germany.”
Manchester Marrow
Ryan says, “At 100 days post-transplant it was time for a bone marrow test and, to everyone’s relief, it showed I was in complete remission and had a bone marrow consisting of 100% donor cells.”
“Since the transplant my time has been spent recovering, building my fitness back up and finishing my masters from home. Despite the illness, I managed to complete my Masters in Aeronautical Engineering with Imperial and I’m now doing a PhD at the University of Manchester.”
Ryan is now determined to raise awareness about the need for bone marrow donors and has recently become the President of Manchester Marrow, one of our student volunteering group which recruits potential donors to the register.
Inspiring people to make a difference
“I’m looking forward to volunteering with the Manchester Marrow group, which recruits students from Manchester to the bone marrow register by holding sign up events on campus. I hope that people will be inspired to join the register when they see the difference it can make to someone’s life.
“So many people don’t realise how easy it is to donate bone marrow and I really want to raise awareness about just how simple it is. To join the register, it’s simply a matter of filling out a form and spitting in a small tube which is then sent off for tissue typing. 90% of those who are now donate through peripheral stem cell collection, which is a process similar to giving blood. It’s virtually painless and could ultimately save someone’s life.”
“I feel very lucky to be alive and able to take on this challenge”
“I’m running the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon for Anthony Nolan because they found the donor who saved my life. Sadly many people are not as fortunate as me. By running the Marathon I hope to raise awareness and funds so more lives can be saved.
“I’m enjoying training for the marathon and am excited about the big day. I may not be the fittest person on the team, but I know that it’s something I can do.
“Without my donor and Anthony Nolan, I wouldn’t be here today. I feel very lucky to be alive and able to take on this challenge. I’ve been given a second chance at life and I’m determined to do something positive with it. Right now, that something is running the London marathon in 2014 to raise awareness and funds for Anthony Nolan."
Mary Campbell, Head of Events, says, “Ryan’s taken on a remarkable challenge so soon after his transplant and is helping to raise awareness and funds for Anthony Nolan."
The money that Ryan raises will help us recruit more donors to the register. Any one of these could go on to donate to someone with blood cancer, just like a stranger saved Ryan’s life two years ago. We’re really looking forward to seeing Ryan on marathon day and cheering him across the finish line!”
Sponsor Ryan at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RyanTunstall
Or text: ANLM99 £amount to 70070
Follow Ryan’s training on his blog: http://run-ryan-run.org/