How Kevin saved a stranger’s life

By MARCUS STEAD.

3 minutes read

A FORMER Barry resident is encouraging young people to join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (WBMDR) after his request for a swab kit began a process that led him to donate stem cells to a seriously ill patient in the United States.

Kevin Tam was still living in Barry when he was scrolling through social media and found out about the Welsh Blood Service’s swab kit pathway initiative.

**| Kevin Tam was living in Barry when he joined the register.**

**| Kevin receiving a certificate to mark being the first Welsh ‘swab kit’ match.**

After receiving a free swab kit, Kevin provided a saliva sample from inside his cheek and returned it by post. Kevin was matched with a patient living with a serious blood disorder in the USA, and he became the first person to donate his stem cells with the Welsh Blood Service via the initiative, which launched in 2022.

To mark the recent World Marrow Donor Day, Kevin has backed the ‘In Our Blood’ campaign. The Welsh Blood Service is urging people aged 16-30 from a Caucasian background, or 16-45 from a black, Asian, mixed heritage or minority ethnic background, to request a swab kit and take the first step towards potentially saving a life.

Stem cell transplants are a vital treatment for people with blood cancers and blood disorders, including leukaemia, lymphoma and sickle cell disease. For some patients, a stem cell transplant is the only option.

Global registers are searched every day to try and find donors. The larger the panel, the greater the chance of finding a well-matched donor.

The chances of a volunteer being matched with a patient varies greatly. Some volunteers can be matched after a short time on the registry, and others are never called.

Volunteers who are a potential match will then be asked to give a blood sample, which is needed to determine the exact level of compatibility. If the level of compatibility is very close, they will be asked to donate bone marrow or give a peripheral blood stem cell donation.

The suitable match will be given detailed information by a specialist nurse about the different procedures, and they can still back out at any time up until the patient starts their pre-transplant treatment.

For patients from black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds, the search can be even more difficult, with around seven in 10 patients struggling to find a suitable donor.

The stark lack of minority ethnic donors on the register has gained prominence during an ongoing storyline in EastEnders, where Denise Fox, who is of Caribbean heritage, is in desperate need of a stem cell donor.

Every year, the Welsh Blood Service aims to add a further 6,000 people to the registry. The more people who sign up, the greater the chance of finding a potentially lifesaving match for patients in need in Wales, the UK and worldwide.

Reflecting on his experience, Kevin said: “When I first signed up, I never imagined a simple cheek swab kit could one day connect me with someone who urgently needed a donor. Once I knew I had the chance to help, saying yes felt like the only answer.

“You never know when you could be the one person in the world who can give someone more time with the people they love.

“If you’re eligible, please consider joining the registry. The kit was sent straight to my door and only took minutes to do. For someone waiting for a match, it could mean everything.”

Christopher Harvey, head of the Welsh Blood Service Stem Cell Registry, said: “Kevin’s story perfectly demonstrates why every person who joins our stem cell registry matters.

“We’re incredibly proud that Kevin was the first person to be matched through our swab kit programme and go on to donate. His journey shows that signing up takes only a small commitment, but it can have a huge impact if you are ever called upon.”

There are two ways to join the Welsh Blood Service’s stem cell registry: by requesting a swab kit online, delivered to your home, or while giving blood. A swab kit can be obtained by visiting here.

By Marcus Stead – News Reporter

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