Raising Funds To Save Lives
Twenty-six-year-old Jeanicia Mwazanzale, is raising money for a worthwhile cause, after a stem cell transplant saved her grandad’s life
Finding out your grandad’s prognosis was 12 months to live after being diagnosed with MDS Leukaemia is not what you want to hear, but thanks to the charity Anthony Nolan, 67-year old grandad Howard is now well on his way to recovery.
Jeanie’s main aim is to educate young people about the lifesaving difference they can make by joining the Anthony Nolan register and how simple a stem cell transplant really is.
Jeanie’s family owns The Cartford Inn in Little Eccleston, whilst she runs and manages TOTI – the onsite delicatessen. Her grandad was diagnosed in April 2018 and desperately needed a stem cell donation. The first step was to get immediate family checked out as a possible donor. Each test cost the charity £400 per person.
Unfortunately, the news came back that Howard’s sister wasn’t a match. The charity found one donor in the UK, however, they did not respond when the charity contacted them. The family were informed that many people in the UK are reluctant to donate bone marrow and stem cells because of the misassumption that the donor goes through a difficult painful procedure. Many people don’t realise that to donate stem cells, it is just a simple blood transfusion.
After a further four months of looking, Anthony Nolan advised the family that there were no other donors suitable in the UK and they would have to look to Europe. By this time Howard was deteriorating further, when news came in that they had managed to find a complete match in Germany!
The week before Jeanie’s wedding, Howard had his transplant and was fighting for his life in Christie’s Hospital in Manchester. Unfortunately, her grandad couldn’t attend her wedding, however, the operation was a success and the transplant had saved his life. Whilst his treatment continues, he must have regular monitoring and blood tests and is continuing to improve and get better every day.
“We can’t thank the charity enough,” says Jeanie. “Everything was arranged through them. They really did save his life. Because of that I’m now trying to spread the message about the charity and how easy it is to become a stem cell donor.”
Jeanie has set up a fundraising page, www.justgiving.com/fundraising/be-a-lifesaver-today to help raise valuable funds for the charity that saved her grandad’s life. “I’ll be taking part in the Great North Swim in Windermere on 8th June. I used to swim for Lancashire and train for four hours a day, but I’ve never swum in open water,” she says. She will be running the Blackpool 10k with other members from the Cartford Inn team, and the restaurant will also be organising various other fund-raising activities.
Could you be a suitable donor? You’ll need to be between the ages of 16 and 30 and be fit and healthy. If you register, chances are that you’ll never have to do anything. Just take a mouth swab sample and post it off. At some point in the future you may turn up as a match for someone who is ill and potentially save someone’s life. What could be more rewarding than that?
Visit: www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways to find out how you can help
