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Tony was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in December 2005. Within two weeks his condition had deteriorated to acute myeloid leukaemia and then almost immediately to blast. He was told he had two weeks to live. He was given king chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant in March 2006. In January 2007 he was officially in remission.
I’m utterly grateful to my donor - I’m not allowed to know who he is, but I sent him a card saying thank you from me, thank you from my wife and thank you from my kids. He saved my life.
I didn’t know anything about it before I got ill, but I’m aware that a lot of people think making a donation is a big deal. But it’s really not anymore –you just have a bit of medication for a few days before and then sit on a machine for a few hours – you can plug into your ipod, read a magazine, do a crossword, you get given lunch. It’s as easy as giving blood. And it’s so simple to join the bone marrow register – next time you give blood, just ask and they’ll take a bit extra to send off – it’s that easy! If it wasn’t for someone doing just that for me, I wouldn’t be here, my wife wouldn’t have a husband and my kids wouldn’t have a dad. What more can I say?
It was late 2005 when I first noticed that I was getting tired very easily and losing a lot of weight – then I started getting severe pain in my right leg. My GP gave me antibiotics which didn’t work; then the pain got worse so I went to my local hospital for injections. That didn’t work either and about six weeks later the hospital did some blood tests. I was finally diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia. In a way it was a relief to get a diagnosis after all that time, but it was also a massive shock – I didn’t even know what leukaemia was. I’d heard about Gary Lineker’s son having it, but that was it. But the worst was yet to come – within two weeks my condition had deteriorated to acute myeloid leukaemia and almost immediately to an even worse form – blast.
I was in hospital by the time they told me the prognosis. My wife was with me when all these consultants and nurses piled into my room – we wondered what was going on. They told me I wouldn’t last more than two weeks if I continued to deteriorate at the same rate. The shock was unbelievable. I was watching my wife as they told us – I could tell she wanted to come to me but couldn’t because of all these people in the room – she looked numb.
The hospital moved very quickly though – I immediately had the strongest chemo possible. Thankfully it worked but I still needed a bone marrow transplant – which I had in March 2006. The lead up to the transplant was horrendous. With all the chemo and radiotherapy, your hair falls out, your skin peels off, your nails fall out and it makes you sterile. I think I cried every day – I desperately didn’t want to die, I felt like my life was just beginning – I was relatively recently married with two small kids, I had to live for my family. They were completely distraught – one particular evening I told them they should be buying their hats – I really didn’t think I was going to make it, I was in so much pain, my body was just shutting down on me. It was pure hell.
It was only later that I realised how incredibly lucky I was to have a common tissue type – that’s how they found a bone marrow donor so quickly for me. A lot of people don’t find matches at all. It felt absolutely brilliant when they told me I had a match – from having two weeks to live, I was being given my life back. I’ve slowly been recovering but it’s a long process. My immune system still isn’t what it should be, but I’m alive and finally in January 2008 I was told that I’m officially in remission – I can’t tell you how fantastic that feels. I’m utterly grateful to my donor - I’m not allowed to know who he is, but I sent him a card saying thank you from me, thank you from my wife and thank you from my kids. He saved my life.
I wanted to find a way to thank everyone who’s helped me and to let people know just how important bone marrow donation is – so I’ve written a song which is being played on hospital radio. I didn’t know anything about it before I got ill, but I’m aware that a lot of people think making a donation is a big deal. But it’s really not anymore – believe me, I know – I met many donors whilst I was in hospital. You just have a bit of medication for a few days before and then sit on a machine for a few hours – you can plug into your ipod, read a magazine, do a crossword, you get given lunch. It’s as easy as giving blood. And it’s so simple to join the bone marrow register – next time you give blood, just ask and they’ll take a bit extra to send off – it’s that easy! If it wasn’t for someone doing just that for me, I wouldn’t be here, my wife wouldn’t have a husband and my kids wouldn’t have a dad. What more can I say?
