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Signing up to save lives




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A BOUGHTON woman and the American man whose life she saved are urging people to join the bone marrow register.

Mrs Beverley Whitworth (47) of Victoria Close, Boughton, and Mr Bo Thompson (39) of Greenville, South Carolina, attended a clinic run by the Anthony Nolan Trust at Ollerton Town Hall on Wednesday.

Mrs Whitworth and Mr Thompson talked to visitors about their experience and reassured them about the process involved in being a donor.

Thirteen people signed up to become donors at the clinic, held in conjunction with the Edwinstowe and Dukeries Lions Club and planned to coincide with Mr Thompson’s visit to the UK.

Mr Nigel Gorvett, the trust’s donor recruitment manager for the north east of England, said it was a disappointing number because they normally aimed for 25-30 people.

But he said: “It is an extra 13 people who were not on the register before and any one of them could turn out to be a match.”

Mr Stuart Budge (24) a sales manager at Continental Tiles on Boughton Industrial Estate, joined the register.

Mr Budge, from Mansfield, said the process of registering was easy and it had made him feel better about himself.

Mr Thompson, who has two children Brandon (16) and Kayla (14) was accompanied by his best friend, Mr Alvin Cobb.

Mr Thompson said: “My bone marrow transplant has given my children their father back — you cannot get any better than that.

“The leukaemia had come back so much and chemotherapy was not working doctors told me I had a 13% chance of living six months.”

He said he had completely recovered from leukaemia and his doctors now called him Miracle Boy.

Mr Thompson said: “Being a donor is as simple as giving blood and you are giving someone their life back.

“Beverley is like a sister to me now.”

Mr Thompson is staying with Mrs Whitworth, her husband, Mr Chris Whitworth, and their children Bryn (19) and Scott (16).

He is due to return to the US on Monday.

Mrs Whitworth said: “I am appealing to the people of Ollerton and the surrounding area to join the register.

“I cannot put into words how it feels to save somebody’s life.

“If our story can help encourage just one person to go on the register it is worth it.”

She said the majority of people who registered as donors were never called, but more donors were still needed, particularly men aged 18-40 and people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Mrs Whitworth registered as a donor more than ten years ago in support of a colleague, Mr Alex Hibbert, who had leukaemia and needed a bone marrow transplant.

Mr Hibbert died because a match was not found.

Mrs Whitworth thought no more about it until she was contacted by the trust to say she was a potential match with a man in the US who had acute myeloid leukaemia.

Further tests revealed she was a perfect match and she had bone marrow removed from her hip and pelvic area on February 13, 2004. It was flown to the US where it was given to Mr Thompson.

Two years later, after both agreed, they spoke on the telephone for three hours and they continue to speak to each other for at least two hours every week.

Mrs Whitworth met Mr Thompson for the first time when she visited the US last year.

To register with the Anthony Nolan Trust write to Donor Recruitment, The Anthony Nolan Trust, PO Box 1767, London, NW3 4YR, or through the website at www.anthonynolan.org.uk



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