When she was just 17, Victoria Rathmill did an amazing thing – she donated her stem cells to save the life of a stranger. And even more amazingly, she’s the world’s youngest person to do so.
As an A-level student, Victoria was inspired to join the register after a family friend was diagnosed with leukaemia. And when our R&Be volunteers visited her school to raise awareness of the register, Victoria was so determined to sign up that she initially forgot to tell her mum!
‘It was only a couple of weeks after I signed up that I told my mum. They sent the kit out to me and she asked me what it was. So I told her and she was taken aback initially, but she thought it was a nice thing for me to do, especially after what had happened with our family friend. She also thought that it wouldn’t come up until some time in the future.’
But as it turns out, less than eight months later in October 2013, Victoria was found to be a match for a person in desperate need.
Describing the experience, Victoria said:
‘It was an immediate decision. I had the opportunity to save someone’s life; I didn’t have to think about it. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was a little scared but I was excited for what it meant.’
Now Victoria’s supporting our #IGiveASpit T-shirt campaign, which aims to spread the word about our lifesaving register. We asked her some questions about what the campaign meant to her:
Victoria in her #IGiveASpit customised t-shirt
How do you feel about the experience of donating now, more than two years after it happened? Exactly as I felt two years ago – I'm still in shock that I was able to save someone's life! I still remember the experience as if it was yesterday. I'm excited at the prospect of being able to meet them after October, which is when it would have been 2 years.
Why are you backing the #IGiveASpit campaign? I'm backing the #IGiveASpit campaign because I think that there should be more awareness for teenagers! Hopefully the campaign will inspire more people to sign up!
Why is it important for people to 'give a spit' and support Anthony Nolan? Anthony Nolan does amazing things to support those who are suffering with a blood cancer, and they help save so many lives. By supporting Anthony Nolan, you're saving lives!
What was the inspiration behind your T-shirt design? I'll be completely honest – I'm not very artistic so I had a friend help me. I gave her free rein and that's what she came up with!
Thanks so much to Victoria for supporting our #IGiveASpit campaign - get your t-shirt and join in on our website at www.anthonynolan.org/igiveaspit