Thornbury man facing final Christmas makes stem cell plea

Rob Hale's life was extended by 18 months after having stem cell treatment

A man preparing for his last Christmas after being diagnosed with leukaemia has urged people to join the life-saving stem cell register.

Aerospace engineer Rob Hale was told he has just weeks to live.

The 33-year-old, from Thornbury in South Gloucestershire, initially thought he had long Covid but received the diagnoses last year.

Stem cell treatment gave him an extra 18 months of life and he now wants to encourage more people to donate.

Mr Hale said: "When I was diagnosed I was told I only had a couple of weeks left but thanks to the chemo and the initial transplant it's got me about 18 months.

"I've been told now I've got a matter of weeks or months left to live."

The family are preparing to spend their last Christmas together

Mr Hale caught Covid in February 2021. When his symptoms persisted, he assumed he had Long Covid.

"I was tired, not eating properly, couldn't stop sleeping, was cold all the time and I had memory problems," he said.

Two months later, after visiting the doctors with a rash on his back, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

He then went through three cycles of what he describes as "intense" chemotherapy and spent four months in hospital in Bristol.

A bone marrow transplant followed in the summer, when stem cells were taken from a healthy donor to effectively reboot his immune system.

There is currently a shortage of stem cell donors from all backgrounds and particularly ethnic minority groups.

"Without people signing up they don't stand a chance," Mr Hale said.

Rob's mother Caron Hale has been by his side

His mother, Caron Hale, said: "I can't say how proud I am. I'm amazed that he wants to do this and he wants to help other people."

Donating stem cells is minimally invasive for the donor, and starts off with a cheek swab.

When a match is found, the donor will have a few injections and will undergo a process similar to giving blood.

"You might not be saving lives but you can buy someone like me 18 months or a year," Mr Hale said.

"You're giving someone a chance, not just at life but having a little bit of time with their families."

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