How many of us say that we will sign up to give blood and never do it? It's a simple act that can literally be the difference between life and death.
We should all stop talking about it, and crack on.
Tim Searle is one of those admirable folks who actually does what he says, but he went one step further – signing up to partake in stem cell treatment donation.
That selfless act made for something remarkable – he saved a child's life.
“I joined the National stem cell donor registry via the Blood service” he told Total MK, “I was giving blood and was offered the opportunity to give a tiny bit more, so that I could join the Stem Cell Registry.
Inspiration came from a friend.
“He had an aggressive cancer and his brother was a donor for him and it saved his life, quite miraculously,” Tim recalled, “He was very ill and that was the thing that saved him.”
So Tim signed on the dotted line, perhaps not expecting to hear anything at all. But just a few months later he was called to the Bristol HQ for the National Stem Cell Register – a match had been found.
“It was exciting,” he remembers, “The doctor explained there was a match and then told me what they'd need to do.
“He said, 'There's a one in 35,000 chance of being a match for a stranger, but there is no pressure.'”
Clearly Tim did feel that pressure, “But the doctor was very keen to explain the process wasn't a trivial one.”
Tim Searle: 'I encourage everyone to sign up to join the registry'
At the time, Tim was at something of a crossroads – his successful animation company, Triffic Films was coming to a close.
Tim's time had been taken up delivering productions including 2DTV, and title sequences for shows like The Catherine Tate Show and Have I Got News For You.
He decided the time was right to give something back.
“My wife Lisa was naturally concerned, but understood that I had to do it.”
Tim was injected with a drug which harvested the white blood cells.
“The drug floods the bloodstream and makes you ache massively,” he remembered, “It's a strange feeling, but my overriding feeling was one of excitement.”
Tim and Lisa and their two young children journeyed to Bristol for Tim to have the procedure, which went well, even though the recovery wasn't quite so straightforward:
“Unfortunately, I had a reaction to the G-CSF drug and was a bit ill in the days after the donation,” he said, “It took about six weeks for me to fully recover. That's more than I was told, but even with that, I don't regret it for a moment and it's something I'm proud of doing. I think I'll be proud of it forever.”
Tim had hoped for communication with the recipient's family, but cards and letters sent by his family went unanswered.
“It was a little bit sad, but I was warned that might be the case. I understand that sometimes people can't accept the idea that help has come from an individual.”
Tim found enough reward knowing that the donation had been a success and the child made a recovery.
“I had to be content with that, and I am,” he said.
Tim's donation, and the journey leading up to it, is something he will always remember.
“When you give blood, you hope it's helped someone,” he explains, “When you do a stem cell donation, it's for someone in particular. It doesn't always work, but I was told mine was successful, and that still feels good years later.”
Unsurprisingly, Tim is keen to encourage other people to follow his path: “I encourage everyone to sign up to join the registry,” he urges, “Nowadays, you just have to spit into a spit kit and shove it in the post. It's easy,” he promises.
“...and one day you could get the chance to save a life. It really is a cool thing.”
For more information on the process and how you too, could make a difference visit https://www.blood.co.uk/stem-
Or The Anthony Nolan Trust: https://www.anthonynolan.org/
