The Ospreys among other Welsh celebrities and members of the public volunteered to become potential bone marrow donors at a session held here at the Liberty Stadium last Thursday evening, which was held by The Anthony Nolan Trust.
The trust urgently needs more donors to help the 7,000 patients worldwide currently waiting for a bone marrow donor.Richard Pugh, Steve Tandy, Barry Williams, Filo Tiatia, Shaun Connor, Ryan Bevington and Sam Kiley were among many who turned up to
Richard Pugh said "â¬ÅIt very important to join the register if you can. Every one person that joins the register could save a life."â¬Â
The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukemia by providing life saving bone marrow donors to hundreds of children and adults waiting for transplants. The Anthony Nolan also undertakes vital research leading to improvements in the effectiveness and safety of bone marrow transplants.
The Anthony Nolan trust are working closely with a young boy called Rhys Harris. Rhys has a genetic disorder called NEMO, which is extremely rare and life-threatening and is in desperate need of a good Bone Marrow match. Although they have yet to find a perfect match for Rhys, they have found a good enough match for them to hold.
Shaun Connor said "â¬ÅWe have grown very close to Rhys and his brother Morgan, who have spent a lot of time with us here at the Ospreys. It"â¬â¢s very important to register, it only takes 5 minutes of your time and you could save a life."â¬Â
Rhys"â¬â¢s father Kevin Harris said, "â¬ÅWe"â¬â¢ve had some great news. We had a phone call last Thursday, saying that have found a match for Rhys. It"â¬â¢s not a perfect match but a good enough match for them to hold. At least he now has a fighting chance!! We will fight that battle in September, October, thank you everyone for your prayers and support. We hope to have a few more sessions like this one as we would still like a perfect match, but also for the other 7000 people and families in a similar position to ours "â¬Å
Bone marrow is where blood cells are formed. Healthy people have a reserve of marrow which is constantly being renewed but patients with some blood disorders such as Rhys don't have these reserves.
If you think you can help someone such as Rhys by volunteering to donate bone marrow please contact the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry Office onfree phone 0800 371 502.