‘Thank you for giving Emily the opportunity to do her A levels, go to uni, learn to drive, swim in the sea, sing, laugh, be messy but most of all to be herself and do whatever her future holds’, says Emily’s mum
After campaigning to help other cancer patients by encouraging selfless strangers to join the Anthony Nolan register, Emily Clark, from Llantarnam in Cwmbran, received the great news that a match has been found for her.
Emily blogged in support of Anthony Nolan and other patients waiting for a match through her blog and website Remission Possible.
Seventeen year old Emily was told that she needs a bone marrow transplant from a stranger after her cancer, Non Hodgkin (Burkitts) Lymphoma, had returned and tests revealed that her siblings were not a match.
Emily shared her story in the media and campaigned tirelessly to get more people to join the register. She successfully signed up hundreds of people to the register especially in her home county and Wales as a whole.
Emily blogged to say, ‘I am so incredibly grateful to this anonymous donor, who I may never know, who is doing such a big thing for me. Words can’t explain how much I feel I need to be able to thank them, because I will literally have their blood in my veins!’
Emily’s mum Donna says, ‘Initially I was shocked when I was told there wasn’t a match. I just assumed there would be a few to choose the best donor from. The relief when told we had a match was incredible.’
‘If I could send a message to the donor it would be to say thank you for giving Emily the opportunity to do her A levels, go to uni, study medicine, learn to drive, swim in the sea, sing, laugh, be messy but most of all to be herself and do what ever her future holds.’
‘To everyone who signed up as part of Emily’s appeal, you may not have been the match to save her but the strength of mind and positivity you gave her and us kept us going through some dark days.’
Even in hospital Emily has blogged and tweeted to support others and thank Anthony Nolan for finding her match.
Ann O’Leary, our Head of Register Development said: ‘Everyone at Anthony Nolan is absolutely delighted that a donor has been found for Emily. Her story and tireless campaigning has touched so many lives and motivated hundreds of people to sign up to our register, any one of whom could go onto save the life.
‘We are driven to find a match for everyone who needs a transplant like Emily so it’s inspiring that Emily is continuing to blog and fight for others to find their perfect match and support the work of Anthony Nolan.’
How you can help
To sign up to the Anthony Nolan register click on the button below to fill out a short form, and tick ‘Remission Possible’ as your reason for joining.
For more information, or to view Emily’s blog, go to remissionpossible.org.uk or follow the #RemissionPossible hashtag on Twitter
You can also follow Emily on Facebook at Remission Possible - she's aiming to get 2,000 Facebook followers by the time she gets out of hospital, so please like and share her page.