Northampton mum who's battled cancer for 12 years calls for more people to donate stem cells

The family of a woman who needs a stem cell transplant after 12-year cancer battle say it would "mean the world" for her to find a donor.

June Hoey, 56, from Northampton, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2012 and has been through three rounds of chemotherapy in an attempt to treat her cancer.

But doctors now say she needs a stem cell transplant to replace cells damaged by the chemotherapy and treat the lymphoma.

"I hope that by undergoing the chemotherapy and later the stem cell transplant, I’ll be able to get back to my normal life - I cannot wait to be able to get back to my allotment, play golf and walk my dogs," Ms Hoey said.

She added: “The first step towards being well again is to find that stem cell donor and I really do hope there is a match waiting on the register for me.

"The more people who sign up, the more chance that people like me will have of being able to get the treatment that we need to be able to feel well again and enjoy time with our loved ones."

She urged people to consider joining the register, adding: "Please, if you are eligible, think about registering to donate your stem cells – you can save somebody’s life.”

Ms Hoey and her daughter Lucy are calling for more people to sign up to the newly renamed NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry - formerly the British Bone Marrow Registry.

The name change is aimed at encouraging more people to register, to help people like Ms Hoey.

Lucy Hoey, who is 23 and studying to become a midwife, said she was acutely aware of how important it was to find a donor for her mum.

"The only thing that we can do to prolong our period of having a happy life, is to have a stem cell donor," she told ITV News Anglia.

"It would mean the world to me for us to be able to get back to normal. We've had an awful time, absolutely awful. We really need it," she added.

Each year more than 400 patients are not able to have stem cell treatment because of a lack of suitable donors, according to the NHS Blood and Transplant Service.

Guy Parkes, head of stem cell donation and transplantation, said increasing the pool of potential donors was "crucial".

"Joining the registry is very low impact. You're just joining in the registry. You're not doing anything at that point, but you could have the chance and it is almost like the golden ticket," he told ITV News Anglia.

"You could have the chance to save someone's life and be the one person who can save that life.

"And people like June just need that single donor who's willing to help them."

For a successful stem cell transplant, both donor and recipient need matching tissue types, which can be hard to find.

The more people on the register, the better the odds of finding a match for every person who needs one, says the service.

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