Make your wish count!

In September 2010 my husband, Shane, was diagnosed with Leukaemia only two weeks before our wedding. It was heartbreaking when the doctor sat down with us to explain that Shane needed to begin treatment immediately and would be unable to attend our wedding. He went through five months of chemotherapy which were a roller coaster ride of physical, emotional and financial strain. At the end of chemotherapy there were two long term treatment options. Stem cell transplant or two years of maintenance chemotherapy. 

Stem cell transplant is the best chance of a cure for leukaemia and other blood disorders. This requires a donor with a matching tissue type. Unfortunately for Shane, his brother was not a match, and there were also no matches on either the Australian or International Bone Marrow Registry. Shane has a very strong ethnic background, uniquely blended with an English background, making it difficult to find perfect match. 

Two years later, after celebrating our first wedding anniversary, Shane relapsed. Again treatment began straight away, but this time with dire consequences. Long term chemotherapy leaves the body more susceptible to severe infections which landed Shane in intensive care. Two turbulent weeks we waited for him to regain consciousness. It was the most challenging experience of my life. Shane miraculously  managed to survive it, but it started to became obvious that long term survival would be impossible without a stem cell transplant. 

Two months on from our ICU experience, Shane is back in hospital undergoing a transplant. There are still no perfect matches so we are risking an "unmatched " transplant. Unmatched transplants can be complicated by greater Graft vs Host disease when compared to matched transplants. 

The Bone marrow registry desperately needs more young donors, especially males and ethnic diversities. Blood cancer affects loads of young people, and coordinators try to match people in a similar stage of life. 

In some countries people are automatically registered for organ and tissue donation from birth. They have the choice to opt out if they wish. These countries provide the greatest donations to the rest of the world. It would be amazing for Australia to adopt a similar mentality to tissue and organ donation. Imagine the lives that could be saved! 

Today Shane had his Stem Cell Transplant. We have been on a difficult journey already, but we still have a long way to go.

Thank you so much to Shane's donor for giving the gift of Life.