jamarchPaula Solomon is Assistant Director for Inpatient Services at Salford, UK. Her son, Martin, is 20 years old and for the second time in his short life, has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The fi rst time, in December 2007 the Stage 3B disease was successfully treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He has enjoyed four cancerfree years where he completed his A levels and went on to enrol at Newcastle University where he was about to enter his third year of his Biomedical Science degree. However, in August this year, Paula and her family received the devastating news that Martin had relapsed with Stage 4 Relapse Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He now needs a stem cell transplant to offer him a chance of survival.
Martin’s two sisters are not a match and he will need a donor to offer him a cure. As Martin has Jamaican heritage, finding a match is proving diffi cult. You could help – if you are between 16 and 30 years old please consider joining the stem cell donor register on the dedicated website at www.anthonynolan.org. It only takes ten minutes to fi ll the form out and it is a simple spit test to see if you are a match. There is no pain or invasive treatments throughout the process. Ten minutes of out of your life could give Martin the rest of his. As our thoughts turn to Christmas, you could be the one to give the gift of a lifetime to a young man who has such a bright future waiting for him. If you are not between 16 and 30 years old, please pass this message on to your friends, family and anywhere else where you think it will be widely seen.
Media Writer
