Summary
A man from Australia named Luke Melling traveled to meet Alastair Hawken, a stranger from the UK who saved his life through a stem cell donation. The donation helped Luke recover from a rare form of blood cancer after all other treatments failed. The two men now encourage others to join the stem cell donor registry to help save lives.
Key Facts
- Luke Melling is from Melbourne, Australia, and had a rare blood cancer called Hodgkin lymphoma.
- After his cancer returned several times, he needed a stem cell transplant to survive.
- No family member or local donor was a match, so doctors searched international registries.
- Alastair Hawken, from Grantham, UK, was found to be a perfect match for Luke.
- Alastair had joined the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry and donated his stem cells.
- The stem cells were collected, frozen, and sent to Australia for Luke's transplant.
- After two years, Luke successfully recovered, and he and Alastair met in person.
- They now share their story to motivate others to register as stem cell donors.
