BBCWhen Jack Parsons’ mother’s life was saved by a stranger donating their stem cell, he decided to join the donor register in the hope one day he could return the favour to someone else.
The dad-of-one, from Frampton Cotterell, near Bristol, had to wait 12 years but eventually received the call saying a match had been found. The odds of becoming a match is about one-in-800.
Only 7% of eligible people are registered as donors, and the 34-year-old is now calling on more people to sign up.
“It’s a painless way to give back to people in their hour of need – you never know if you might need something like this in your own life,” Mr Parsons added.
Despite signing up as a donor in 2013, he only got the call to donate a few months ago.
He described the feeling as “surreal” but was more than happy to donate.
“I thought it was a scam call to start with and it didn’t really register.
“I’ve had lots of life events recently – I’ve got married and had my first child – so to be able to give back to someone in the way someone did for my mum that allowed her to see her grandchild and go to my wedding – that was really a big driver for me,” he added.
The process of donation involves having a few injections that encourage higher stem cell production.
The donor then visits a clinic where the stem cells are extracted using a similar method to blood donation.
Most donors and recipients will never know each other.
In some instances appropriate matches can be found within a patient’s own family but the vast majority rely on strangers donating.
Deborah Hyde, spokesperson for the bone marrow donation charity DKMS, said: “Only 30% will find a donor in their immediate family, 70% rely on anonymous strangers.
“The person Jack donated to could be anyone, from any walk of life, belief or political opinion.
“These stories can really restore your faith in humanity.”
