You or someone you know could help give those like Theo a second chance at life.
Theo loves life. He writes music, makes documentaries, hosts a radio show, enjoys the outdoors, and spends as much time as possible with the friends and family he loves.
But last summer the 33-year-old suddenly started feeling tired and out of breath as well as discovering a lump on his neck. After being admitted to hospital for tests Theo received the devastating news that he has acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and that his best chance of recovery is through a stem cell transplant.
Now, instead of planning his wedding, family and future with fiancée Rebekah, Theo is desperately searching for a matching stem cell donor that could give him another chance at life. So far an ideal match cannot be found.
Together the couple is raising awareness of the need for more stem cell donors, particularly among young people aged 16-30, to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register and potentially save a life like Theo's.
We’re young, we’re engaged, and we want to get on with building a family. This experience has shown us just how precious even the small things in life are, and we just want to spend forever putting as much love into the world as possible. Theo is my best friend, my sanctuary. We have to find his genetic twin so he can get better.
Rebekah - Theo's partner
Make a donation
A gift of £5 a month helps build a stem cell register that gives everyone the best chance of survival.
A gift of £10 a month helps lifesaving transplants to happen – giving as many people, like Theo, as possible a second chance of life.
A gift of £15 a month could help pay for our umbilical cord collection programme – making little lifesavers of babies only minutes old!
£15 goes a long way to helping our scientists conduct ground-breaking research that will save lives over the next 50 years.
£40 could sign up a new lifesaving stem cell donor who could go on to save a life like Theo's.
£90 could pay for three hours of invaluable support from a post-transplant nurse for patients and families.
About Theo
“Theo is from west Wales, loves Guinness, the woods, writing, the sea, his mum’s dogs, raving, running, dance music, folklore, documentaries, telling funny stories and, more than anything, he loves his friends and family. And we adore him,” says Rebekah.
Theo is positive and is determined to marry his fiancé. He says: “I really want to carry on living. I've got stuff to do, you know? The more people who join the register, the more people like me can be helped – which if you ask me would be pretty cool.”
Signing up is very simple and has got to be one of the easiest ways to do something truly selfless and potentially lifesaving for another person. It takes one swab.”
Why Theo needs a match
AML is a very aggressive and difficult-to-treat blood cancer. Theo’s best chance of recovery is a stem cell transplant: a treatment to replace his blood cells with healthy ones from a matching donor, helping him to regain his strength, return to his work and allow him to plan his future with his fiancé, actor and director Rebekah.
Theo says: “Needing to have a transplant but not having a 10/10 match is a very complicated and lonely place to be. I need this treatment. With it we can be confident this disease won't return, and I won't always be looking over my shoulder worrying about a relapse. It's the key to being able to get on with my life. Plus, if people see my story and then sign up, they might match with someone else which would be worth it in itself.”
There’s an easy way to help people in Theo’s position. By signing up to the stem cell register you could stop someone, somewhere from experiencing this.
I really want to carry on living. I've got stuff to do, you know? The more people who join the register, the more people like me can be helped – which if you ask me would be pretty cool
Theo
#GetTheoMatched
Between 16 and 30? Help save the life of someone like Theo by joining the register today.