The day my mum arrived back in Ireland after a holiday in New Zealand, she got off the plane and went straight to hospital.
She had been under the weather for her whole holiday, but now she was extremely sick with what turned out to be Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
I was told on the phone that she was facing death. I remember feeling extremely overwhelmed and guilty – just the deepest and darkest emotions that literally pull your stomach to the ground. What made it so much worse was being so far away. So, within a week, I flew out to Ireland to be with her.
Mum eventually began chemotherapy. We had very high hopes for this treatment, but unfortunately, it failed. The only option left was a stem cell transplant, and because Mum couldn’t find a match in her family, she went on the waitlist for a donor.
Then a match was found in America, which was an immense relief: finally, things didn’t seem so hopeless.
Mum eventually received her stem cell transplant, and in the twelve months following, she hit every recovery milestone. However, she still has good days and bad days. It will take five years before we know whether the treatment is curative or not.
This journey has affected me deeply on a personal level; it made me want to be closer to Mum. It feels like when you’re a little girl and all you want to do is snuggle with your mummy on the sofa with not a care in the world. Fortunately, thanks to the generous stranger who donated their stem cells, I get to have this extra time with her.
Anyone who is eligible should think about signing up to become a donor. It literally saves families. After Mum’s transplant, we desperately wanted to thank her donor. We wrote letters that were sent to him via the hospital – but words can never explain how thankful we are.
I'm past the eligible age for the registry (18-35 years), but I give blood when I can. I've just completed my 9th donation in NZ. I don't like needles, but I do this because I know the literally lifesaving impact these donations have on our loved ones.
To all those people who have donated stem cells or who have joined the NZ bone marrow donor registry, you have no idea what an incredible impact you have on other peoples’ lives: families like mine are eternally grateful for your gift.
