WORLD CANCER DAY
A Donation of Hope
A young officer has given a blood cancer patient a fighting chance of survival thanks to his selfless donation of stem cells
Every year on 4 February, World Cancer Day is observed. It is a day designed to raise awareness across the globe, improve education, catalyse action and help provide access to life-saving cancer treatment for all. For this year’s event, the Police
Federation is sharing a story of hope – one officer’s selfless blood donation potentially saved the life of a person fighting blood cancer. PC Kieran Morris, from Dyfed-Powys Police, joined the bone
“I felt that I had the chance to improve – or even save – someone’s life”
marrow register in 2017, after giving blood every three months since the age of 18. For two years, he did not hear anything from the register. But at the end of 2019, he received a phone call to let him know he could help to potentially save a life.
The officer was one of five people who was a match for a patient with a very rare form of blood cancer. He was told that a blood stem cell donation was vital to give this person a chance of survival, so he gave a sample to determine his level of compatibility. The results showed that PC Morris was the best match. “I felt honoured. I felt that I had the chance to possibly improve someone’s life, or even save someone’s life,” said PC Morris. “The feeling of hope that the person may have felt when finding out that they had been matched must have been massive, so for that, I felt I may have made a difference to that person’s life.” In the lead-up to the procedure, PC Morris undertook counselling and a full medical test. Once he was declared fit, the
process began. For the first five days, he was visited at home by a nurse who injected him with medication to allow his body to produce extra stem cells. The medication caused slight back pain, but no major side effects. On the fifth day, he went to the hospital for the procedure. At this stage, donors are given the choice between a procedure under general anaesthetic, which involves an operation- style extraction of stem cells, or peripheral
stem collection. PC Morris opted for the latter procedure, which took seven hours to complete. “I selected the peripheral stem cell collection as I was informed that it was the best type for the person that needed the donation,” he said.
PC Morris explained: “It involves a cannula in each arm, with one taking your blood and transporting it into a machine, which separates your stem cells from your blood. The blood without the stem cells is then put back into your body through the other cannula.”
He has shared his experience to encourage others to sign up to the Welsh Bone Marrow register. “The cost to you would massively outweigh the benefits to the person needing the donation,” PC Morris said. “I experienced back pain, which I knew I would recover from and it was only for a couple of days, whereas the donation could have saved this person’s life. “It is not guaranteed that the person
receiving the donation will recover from the cancer, though the hope that they and their sons and daughters and wider family would have felt just believing that they have a chance, would have been incredible.” Although most people are only chosen
to donate blood stem cells once, PC Morris will remain on the register in case he matches with another person. If he does, he will then be taken off the register because one person may only donate twice.
To find out more about bone marrow and stem cell donation in Wales, please visit:
www.welsh-blood.org.uk/giving- blood/bone-marrow-donor- registry/
To find out more about donating nationally, please visit: Home - British Bone Marrow Registry - NHS Blood and Transplant (
bbmr.co.uk)
For more on World Cancer Day, please visit: Official website of World Cancer Day by UICC | 4 February
21 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2022
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