Latest news with #stemcell
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Family's appeal as boy told cancer has returned on 16th birthday
The family of a boy from Lincoln have launched an urgent plea for a stem cell donor after being told his cancer had returned on his 16th birthday. Reece Khan has been told he faced gruelling treatment and has been given a one-in-five chance of survival by family was now working with the charity Anthony Nolan to find a stem cell donor. Reece's mother, Selina Niman, 51, a care worker from Lincoln, said the news had "broken" the family. 'Horrendous' Reece was initially diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, when he was diagnosis came days before the first Covid lockdown in March Niman said it was "absolutely devastating" for the family, adding: "It was horrendous. And because it was Covid, we couldn't have any visitors up here." Reece, who has a love of baking and watching food programmes, also had further complications due to having Type 1 was told he was cancer-free 18 months ago after three and a half years of he started getting headaches earlier this year and later found out his cancer had returned and spread to his family said his chemotherapy would now be much stronger and he would need radiotherapy and a stem cell Niman said: "We're just broken as a family. We just don't know what else to do or where to go. Words cannot explain how we feel now."I just want to jump in his hospital bed and swap places with him." As Reece is mixed race, it will be statistically harder for him to find a stem cell donor. Charity Anthony Nolan said people from minority ethnic backgrounds often had rarer tissue types which made it harder to find matching donors. Reece's brother, Kyle, 25, has been tested and is a half charity said it was searching worldwide registers to find a full match and give the treatment the best chance of Bentley, head of programme and community recruitment at the charity, said: "It's vital that we raise awareness of stem cell donation and encourage more people to join the register."We know that younger stem cell donors give patients the best chance of survival. "That's why we're calling on healthy 16 to 30-year-olds to join the register now, so that people like Reece can have a second chance at life." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Malay Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Penang Hospital's RM758m development projects progressing as planned, set for completion by 2029, says state exco
GEORGE TOWN, May 30 — The three development projects at Penang Hospital costing a total RM758 million are on track for completion between 2026 and 2029. Penang Health, Youth and Sports committee chairman Gooi Zi Sen said the construction of the RM307 million Women and Children's Block is now 34.35 per cent complete and is expected to be completed by January 2026. 'The project includes a 12-storey car park and an eight-storey hospital building with a capacity of 329 beds,' he said when visiting the construction site today. The block will consist of eight main services, including outpatient and inpatient service, diagnostic and treatment, medical support, administrative offices, medical staff services and public amenities such as a cafeteria, a playground and a surau. He said the second project, a new Stem Cell Centre Block, costs about RM23 million and is expected to be completed in March 2027. He said the project is being carried out under the supervision of the Public Works Department. 'The scope of the project includes upgrading transplant services, such as an Allogeneic bone marrow transplant, an Apheresis unit and a stem cell laboratory,' he said. He said the block will include 25 car park lots, a connecting overhead bridge and other auxiliary buildings. The third project is the RM428 million Specialist Clinic and Ward, which is expected to be completed by May 2029. 'The scope of the project includes a 14-storey building with 500 parking spaces, specialist clinics and a ward with a 216-bed capacity,' he said. All three projects are funded by Putrajaya under the 10th and 11th Malaysia Plans. Gooi thanked the federal government for approving the allocation for the projects as it will improve the infrastructure and facilities at Penang Hospital. 'These projects will strengthen the state's healthcare service system and will improve the quality of treatment for patients,' he said. He said the state government will continue to strengthen the public health system and ensure access to treatment for all.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Cancer survivor travels 10,000 miles to meet UK man who saved his life
A cancer patient has travelled more than 10,000 miles from his home in Australia to meet a UK man who saved his life. Luke Melling, 31, from Melbourne, travelled across the world to Grantham in Lincolnshire to meet stem cell donor Alastair Hawken. Mr Melling was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma as a teenager, and by 2022, he had exhausted all available treatment options. His only hope was a stem cell donation. Stem cell donations require matching tissue types between the donor and recipient to be successful. Melling described the moment he found out that his sister was not a match as "terrifying." With no matches found in Australia, a search was launched using international stem cell registries, which identified Hawken as a suitable donor. The 51-year-old had been listed on the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry for 14 years before he got the call saying he had been found as a match for a patient in need. The father-of-three donated his stem cells in April 2022. They were cryogenically frozen and shipped to Australia. Mr Melling had his transplant a month later and is now back to full health. The pair met for the first time at Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire, on Friday. They embraced as Mr Hawken said, 'I never thought this moment would come, to meet you is a blessing, it completes the circle.' Their story is being shared to encourage others to join the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, available for blood donors aged between 17 and 40. 'Knowing that it was the last treatment option for me and that I was relying on the kindness of strangers, having signed up to a stem cell register was really difficult. Thankfully, there was a match there – a man in the UK, who I now know to be Alastair,' Mr Melling said. 'Meeting Alastair in person is a dream come true. What do you say to the person who has given you your life back by literally giving a part of themselves? There are no words but I hope he knows how grateful I am. 'Me being able to get on that plane and fly across the world is only possible because of him and the moment I got to give him that huge hug and thank him in person is a moment I'll never forget.' Mr Hawken said: 'I started giving blood in memory of my mum, who sadly died when I was 23. She needed nine units of blood during treatment for cancer and that inspired me to give back. 'Joining the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry whilst at one of these regular appointments was a no-brainer. 'I didn't really think about it again until I got the phone call, 14 years later, to tell me I had come up as a match for somebody who needed a stem cell transplant. 'I didn't hesitate to say yes when they asked if I wanted to go ahead. 'Donating my stem cells was so simple – it was a few hours of sitting, watching TV and having snacks brought to me. 'Meeting Luke really brings home just what a difference that simple act can make. 'It's incredible to finally get to meet Luke and his lovely mum, too. We're bonded in a way that I can't quite describe and meeting them both in person is really such an honour.' Mr Melling added: 'In 2023, after the stem cell transplant, I started to feel like myself again – I ran a marathon, I travelled, I lived life in a way that hadn't been possible for me for so long – and that's all thanks to Alastair. 'If he hadn't made the decision to join the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, things could have been very different for me now – there was nobody else who could have done what he has done for me.' Lilian Hook, from NHS Blood and Transplant, said: 'It's fantastic to see Luke and Alastair get to meet in person. 'They are two people who live on opposite sides of the world and yet now have this remarkable story and bond to share. It really does go to show the importance of stem cell donation and the real tangible difference it can make to somebody's life. 'By joining the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, you are giving an opportunity for more patients to find the life-saving match they so desperately need – it could be your neighbour or it could be a stranger on the other side of the world but the impact on them and their families is the same. 'Joining the registry is easy – just ask at your next blood donation appointment and one day, like Alastair, you could get the call asking you to help out.'
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Falling to bits': Tom Hardy's devastating health update
Tom Hardy says his body is 'falling to bits' now that he's middle-aged. The Dark Knight Rises actor, 47, discussed all of his latest ailments in a recent interview with Esquire. 'I got dizzy today,' he told the outlet. 'I took a Sudafed and it's starting to work, so I feel better, but in the interviews I was sitting there, and you know when you feel not right, but you can't tell someone you don't feel right?' He then joked about potentially passing out during the interview before explaining the other health burdens he's been dealing with — after years as an action star. 'I've had two knee surgeries now, my disc's herniated in my back, I've got sciatica as well,' he shared. 'And I have that… is it plantar fasciitis? Where did that come from? And why? Why?!' Hardy added that he also pulled a tendon in his hip. 'It's like, it's all falling to bits now, and it's not going to get better,' he said. The Inception star then reflected on some of the medical advances he is open to exploring. When asked if he would consider doing stem cell treatment, he replied, 'Probably, yeah.' 'I think if it comes down to the wire and it seems the sensible thing to do and I take advice,' he continued, before diving into other medical things, including custom homoeopathic treatments like 'tinctures.' 'This is the biopsy of where we're at: two vapes, somebody else's clothes, and a hotel room that neither of us feels comfortable in!' he told the reporter, referring to their sit-down at a swanky hotel. Despite his struggles, Hardy has stayed committed to keeping up with his fitness by doing jiu-jitsu. 'I did the posturing bit of boxing and hitting mitts, and trying to be a bloke,' he said. 'But ultimately I was sort of scared of blokes, because there's so many of them, and there's always one stronger than you.' He continued, 'You know, somehow you're supposed to be able to look after yourself in this wicked world, but in a numbers game it's not possible to be the strongest. So eventually I was like, 'Just have a go, who cares who wins.' And of course I care who wins, but you spend the first couple of years trying to forget it. You're not winning anything. It's very humiliating, in the right way.' Hardy, who earned his purple belt, called the martial art 'a submission sport.' 'It's about stopping your opponent. They submit to defeat, or you choke them, shutting off the carotid artery so the blood doesn't go to the brain,' he explained. 'But once you isolate a limb — an arm or a leg — and put pressure through the joint, and it's correctly applied, you needn't go any further. It's a fait accompli. It's done. You are done. Only your ego will take you any further.'
News24
13-05-2025
- Health
- News24
East London man's stem cells cross continents to save a stranger in South America
When East London apprentice mechanic Bradley Peters registered as a stem cell donor last year, he never imagined his cells would journey 6 500km across the South Atlantic Ocean to offer someone a second chance at life. 'I never thought I'd be someone's perfect match,' says the 23-year-old, who works at Ronnies Motors Commercial Vehicles. Bradley registered as a stem cell donor with Matches on the Map in June 2024. The organisation was founded by Robin Lewis after he received a life-saving stem cell transplant in 2018 for Fanconi anaemia, a rare inherited disorder that prevents bone marrow from making enough blood cells. Today, Matches on the Map conducts donor recruitment drives in 64 countries. Despite the slim odds – one in 400 000 for non-white donors – Bradley's details in the system proved to be exactly what someone in South America needed. 'The matching process began with an unexpected call from the South African Bone Marrow Registry, informing me I was a perfect match at nine out of 10 markers,' Bradley says. His friend Alvandre Adkins served as his contact person. 'You never answer your phone,' Alvandre jokes. When the crucial call came, it was Alvandre who received it and relayed the news to Bradley. With the support of his workplace management team, Bradley began the donation process. READ MORE | A miracle match for baby Leo: donor found in record time for ultra-rare condition The process started with multiple blood tests – 11 to 12 vials each time. In early December, Bradley travelled to Cape Town for a comprehensive medical screening that included X-rays and other vital checks. A week later, he returned with his girlfriend, Chelsie Goliath (20). 'The preparation required self-administered injections beneath my belly every 12 hours for five days,' Bradley explains. 'The injections stimulated stem cell production. I experienced a tingling sensation afterwards, but it quickly subsided.' Over five days, he received approximately 11 injections. 'On day five, they performed a blood count check, followed by the actual donation on day six. By day nine, I was cleared to return home.' It was only on the day of the harvest that Bradley learnt his recipient was from South America. Due to protocol, he must wait until 2028 before any potential contact with the recipient. He does, however, have a message for them. 'God orchestrated our connection for a purpose. Though we're strangers, we're now siblings connected through DNA. I hope someday we'll meet and share our stories.' Bradley's history of helping others began early – he regularly donated blood through the South African National Blood Service in East London. READ MORE | MY STORY | I beat childhood cancer and now I'm writing my matric exams According to international bone marrow donor non-profit Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei , or DKMS, stem cell donation involves a process where someone donates blood-forming stem cells to help a person with a serious blood or bone marrow disorder. The cells are then transplanted into the recipient to help their body produce healthy blood cells. Bradley is the first donor match identified during Matches on the Map's journey, which started in September 2023. After 19 months conducting recruitment drives across southern Africa, Bradley's contribution has energised the team as it continues its journey to Namibia and Angola, calling for more potential donors to step forward. 'This experience has transformed me; I've become more humble and grateful,' Bradley shares.
