The only option to save Luke’s life, which he suffered in a rare form of blood cancer, was to find a compatible stem cell donor.
Luke Melling, a 31 -year -old man from Melbourne, Australia, traveled 16,000 kilometers to meet the stranger who saved his life.
Luke, who suffered in a rare form of blood cancer, claims to “face death” before receiving a Alastair Hawken stem cell transplant from Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom.
The compatibility between the two was so perfect that they now believe they could have a distant relationship, since both families come from Preston, a British city in the county of Lancashire, who chose their exciting first appointment.
They decided to share their story to encourage more people to register with the donors of stem cells of the NHS, the British public health system.
Three years ago, Luke, then 28 years old, was seriously ill in the hospital with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He had lived with the disease since he was 16 and, despite being in remission four times, cancer was still returning.
After having exhausted all the other treatments, it was informed that he needed stem cell transplantation, which can be found in the bone marrow and produce essential blood cells to survive.
But like nobody in his family, nor in Australia, he was compatible, the doctors began to look for a donor in the international registers of the stem cells.
“It was something similar: ‘Here, this is the only option you have. Or this or you will die,” says Luke.
“Discovering that my sister was not compatible was terrifying – we didn’t know if there would be someone recorded that would be compatible with me.”
But then, after six months of waiting, Luke was informed that there was hope. The record had found a potential donor on the other side of the world.
Hope
“When we discovered that we had the perfect compatibility, it was an exciting moment,” recalls Luke. “I remember my mother – he was hysterical, crying.”
For Alastair, then 48, the call was unexpected. Regular blood donor, had been recorded in the SSN record in 2008.
When they asked him if he was still willing to donate, the father of three children did not hesitate.
“It wasn’t a problem,” he says. “What can I do, where can I be? It was nice to be sought, feel that I could be useful for someone.”
Before donation, Alastair received an injection of high power medicine for cell generation. After a few days, he could barely move, but they told him that he showed that the process was working and that the body was “generating excessive stem cells”.
Then he went to the hospital for the stem cells to be “collected” in a process similar to the blood donation as he made a snack and watched on television.
“There is no discomfort,” he says. “The stem cells are removed, packaged and, therefore, told in the laboratory-85 million is what we needed for Luke, and that’s what was collected”.
“I felt surprising my body was made up of fresh stem cells and then my stem cells [coletadas] followed your trip. “
The cells were frozen cryogenically in a few hours to be sent to Australia, where Luke was waiting for.
Unforgettable meeting
Luke was subjected to the transplant a month later, but everything he knew of the donor was that he was a 48 -year -old man from the United Kingdom.
He was not allowed to contact Alastair until the two years passed and the treatment was considered successful.
At that moment, Alastair did not know if Luke had survived.
“I just waited. I waited and prayed for this,” he says.
Until an e -mail has not reached the mail coming through the record of stem cells.
“It was as if all my Christmas had happened at the same time,” recalls Alastair. “It was a very beautiful moment.”
The two were put in contact and finally met in Preston in May of this year.
“Having someone like you, who is so beautiful, adorable and kind, having done everything, I’m glad they are your cells. I have no words to thank,” Luke ad Alastair said when they met.
Alastair describes the donation, in turn, like its “inheritance”.
“If I reach nothing but see that smile on your face, then I will have reached everything you need to get,” he told Luke.
Preston, in the North -ovest of the United Kingdom, proved to be the ideal place for the meeting, since Alastair grandparents lived in the city and also Luke’s family has roots there.
Luke, who is now 31 years old and has recovered his health, feels he can leave behind over the past 15 years. He even ran a marathon.
“Knowing Alastair personally is a dream that has come true,” he says. “What do you say to the person who returned your life, literally donating a part of yourself?”
“Being able to embark on that plane and cross the world was only possible for this.”
“The moment when I could give him that huge hug and thanks in person, it is a moment that I will never forget.”
Alastair, now 51 years old, expects their history to encourage others to register with the record of stem cells.
“Meeting Luke today really shows the difference that a simple act can do,” he says.
“I would like more people to register to donate, both platelets, organs, blood or stem cells, it is the gift of life.”
“There is nothing that makes you feel more complete as a human being and when it comes to a success story, since our case was clearly, it’s worth it.”
With an additional relationship by Paul Johnson
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
