When he was just 22 years old, William Black was diagnosed with an incredibly rare immune system disorder - Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which is most often found in very young children.
His shocked consultants told him that he could be the first adult case of HLH ever in Scotland – and that if his body didn’t respond to chemotherapy, he’d need to find a stem cell donor.
Anthony Nolan found that lifesaving donor – and six years on, William tells us about his life after transplant, and his incredible achievement at the 2015 British Transplant Games.
I’d never taken drugs or abused my body. I was in good health, and very active and fit. I went to the gym; I took part in downhill mountain biking. I did everything. In fact, I’d just returned from a snowboarding holiday in the Alps when I first fell ill.
Being diagnosed with HLH came as an even bigger shock and the chemotherapy was tough to handle. When it didn’t work and we had to start looking for a bone marrow donor, I was at my lowest point. It was devastating to suddenly not be able to do all the things I’d previously enjoyed.
The Transplant Games and me
After my transplant, I really wanted to get back into sports, and hopefully regain some of the fitness that I’d lost – but at the same time, I had to accept that my body had changed. I used to be pretty toned, but after long months of treatment, I’d lost just about all of the weight I’d ever had, and I wasn’t getting out much.
I needed to make a change; and that was why I began cycling to work.
It was a nice route, too – over the Forth Bridge to our offices outside Edinburgh Airport. Maybe 12 miles from home, all in all.
Gradually, I started cycling further and further.
By the time 2015 rolled around, I’d taken on the 110-mile Big Belter ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh (and it was a beautiful day, too – rare for Scotland!), and I was preparing for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey with two mates. We set ourselves a target of £1,800 in sponsorship money, and ended up hitting £1,857
We’d also run the Edinburgh Half-Marathon, and Tough Mudder, which was pretty tough; as a cyclist, you’re built to be streamlined, so you don’t necessarily have that upper body-strength.
Then I saw a post on the Anthony Nolan Patients & Families Facebook page, about the Transplant Games – a chance for transplant patients to participate in competitive sporting events, while raising vital awareness of organ and stem cell donation.
I got in touch with the Patient Experience, found out a little more – and I decided to sign up for the 10K road race.
I didn’t really have any experience with fast, competitive cycling; pushing myself to the limit second-by-second, rather than a longer endurance event.
It was hard – incredibly hard! A really great experience, though, and I learnt a lot about how to handle the bike. (I could probably have trained more, in all honesty.)
RideLondon was taking place just a couple of days afterwards, so two of the guys I was cycling with came down for the medal ceremony, and then we hopped in a van and drove down to London for 5am to register at the Excel Centre.
Will on the move
My future challenges
When I first decided to compete in the Transplant Games, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never heard of the event before, or seen any adverts for it. But the competition was really tough, and in the end, I was overjoyed to come away with a silver medal.
It was a good starting point, and I’m looking forward to pushing myself next year and maybe even taking part in the World Transplant Games, as well! That’d be absolutely phenomenal.
If you’re interested in learning more about next year’s Transplant Games, or you’d like to take part, simply get in touch with the Anthony Nolan Patient Experience team.