A FAMILY man from Pensilva has been given the news that his bone marrow is a close match for someone who is seriously ill with leukaemia.

Craig Vaughnley, who signed up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register 20 years ago, has just been informed by the UK blood cancer charity that his stem cells are now needed for a transplant.

Craig, 41, a retail manager at TKMaxx in St Austell, soon faces a medical check in London, to be followed by four days of injections to strengthen his own stem cell growth.

'On the fourth day the Anthony Nolan team will connect me up to a machine a bit like dialysis, and take blood from one of my arms from which they will harvest the stem cells to be transplanted,' said Craig. 'They will then put the blood back in the other arm and that's it. The whole procedure takes about five hours.'

Craig says that now he is finally able to help someone, he is finding it a very humbling experience.

'I have my wife Kate and my kids, Isobel (3) and James (8), a nice life, and nothing to complain about, but all this has still managed to somehow put my life into perspective,' he said. 

'A transplant is the last resort for leukaemia sufferers, and then only if they are lucky. Only half the people waiting for a transplant are found a match. I am hoping that this transplant will be giving someone a few more years or a normal life.' 

A governor at Pensilva Primary School, Craig hopes to tell the pupils about his experience, and explain to them what leukaemia is, and how the Anthony Nolan charity saves the lives of people with blood cancer.

Craig says the patient is kept anonymous from the donor but after two years you can make enquiries if you wish.

'My donation could be for a child or adult. I have no idea who the recipient is,' he said.

Loss from cancer was brought home to Craig a year ago when a good  friend, who also happened to be the father-in-law of his twin brother Jason, died from leukaemia. Now the brothers will be running together in the London Marathon as part of the Anthony Nolan team. If you would like to sponsor them, you can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/">www.justgiving.com/

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Craig is hoping the publication of this story will encourage more local people to consider fundraising for Anthony Nolan or to consider joining the donor register. The charity was founded by Shirley Nolan, mother of Anthony Nolan, who was born in 1971 with a rare cancer and needed a transplant. He died in 1978 as a match was never found for him.

The website for Anthony Nolan is http://www.anthonynolan">www.anthonynolan.

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