Canadian grandad flies to Sheffield to meet lifesaving stem cell donor

Tom Marshall (left) said it was an honour to donate to Mr Neander (right)

A Canadian man has flown thousands of miles to Yorkshire to meet the stem cell donor who helped save his life.

Rod Neander, who was diagnosed in 2018 with blood cancer, said he had found the chance to thank Tom Marshall, 30, from Sheffield, "overwhelming".

Mr Marshall donated his stem cells to Mr Neander after having signed up to the Anthony Nolan register aged 18.

Following the visit last month, Mr Marshall described Mr Neander as "more like family" than a friend.

He said before signing up to the stem cell register, he had often previously given blood, but he had then read a pamphlet on the subject.

"I saw it as an opportunity to help people. If I could do it then I thought, 'why not?'"

'Do something good'

After finding out he was a match for someone, Mr Marshall donated stem cells at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital in April 2020.

He said he had felt "a bit of excitement and a bit of apprehension" on getting the call, but felt it was his "opportunity to do something good for someone else".

The recipient, Mr Neander, a grandfather-of-three in his early 60s, had previously been diagnosed with a blood cancer known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

After the donation, the pair had to wait some time to meet up because the Anthony Nolan Trust asks that there be no contact between patients and donors for two years.

Once this period was up, Mr Marshall and Mr Neander started communicating via email and video calls, before Mr Neander made the trip from Canada to Sheffield in April.

Mr Marshall donated stem cells at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield in 2020

Mr Marshall said meeting Mr Neander in person "made me feel that donating stem cells is the best thing that I've ever done".

"Becoming a dad has made me realise time is so precious and donating stem cells to give Rod more time is the best gift that I have ever given," he said.

"The blood we share hasn't just made us friends but more like family."

Meanwhile, Mr Neander said: "The chance to say thank you to Tom, my stem cell donor, is overwhelming."

The transplant had allowed him to "get back to the things I love", Mr Neander said.

Henny Braund, chief executive of the Anthony Nolan Trust, said: "Our donors like Tom are incredible. They allow Anthony Nolan to save lives through stem cells."