A man who saved the life of a stranger through becoming stem cell donor said it’s changed his life forever. Kevin Davies from Rhyl said says despite nearly three decades serving with Greater Manchester Police becoming a donor is the best thing he’s ever done.
The 65-year-old said he has has Mike Peters – his old school friend and frontman of Welsh rock band The Alarm – to thank for starting him on a journey that led to him saving the life of German blood cancer sufferer, Rolf Genzel from Leipzig.
“Mike Peters comes from the same town as me.” Kevin, who now lives in Lancashire, explained: “We grew up in Rhyl together, went to the same primary and secondary schools and played in the same football team when we were boys. In fact, according to Mike we probably knew each other before we were born as our parents used to go out dancing together.” For the latest health and Covid news, sign up to our newsletter here
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Kevin said although he had lost touch with Mike, the pair rekindled their friendship in 2001. He said: “During the following years I have been to over 80 of Mike’s gigs and I was aware of the ‘Love, Hope Strength’ charity mouth swabbing for potential donors at his gigs, but due to my age never really thought about getting on the list.
“On May 14 2015 I saw him perform in Manchester, and as always happens at his gigs, they had a team of volunteers swabbing on behalf of DKMS, the international blood cancer charity. At the time I was just six months off my 55th birthday, which is the cut off age, and I still wasn’t on the list.
“That evening at the gig I was swabbed, and to be honest, I never thought I’d get picked. However, I got a phone call from DKMS in June 2016, just before my 57th birthday, and was told I had been identified as a potential match for a patient in need of a stem cell transplant.”
Kevin Davies donating stem cells -Credit:Kevin Davies
Blood cancer charity DKMS holds the UK’s biggest register of potential stem cell donors. People like Kevin who join up at a Love Hope Strength swabbing event go onto the DKMS register, and are looked after all the way by DKMS if they are found to be a compatible match for someone needing a stem cell transplant.
Kevin continued: ‘After some local blood tests and a medical I went on to donate my stem cells in October 2016 in London. I was a 10/10 match for my recipient, Rolf, and you can’t get any better than that. The process was so straight-forward and it wasn’t a big deal at all. I’m so glad I did it. In October 2022 I eventually met Rolf in Leipzig in Germany and we now have a lovely friendship. I’m looking forward to revisiting Rolf again in Leipzig.”
Rolf Genzel – who was a senior manager at German technology company Siemens – said he originally went to the doctor in April 2016 who initially thought he had rheumatism in his hands. The now 67-year-old said: “Further tests at my local hospital revealed it was actually a rare form of blood cancer called myelodysplasia. I immediately started on drug treatment and chemotherapy but unfortunately it was unsuccessful, so in July 2016 the search for a suitable stem cell donor began.
“I knew that if no suitable match had been found, I would have to continue with drugs and regular infusions. This would have resulted in a significant reduction in my life expectancy and severely impact my quality of life. Since I was still under 60 at the time, a stem cell donation was an option for me.
“A three-month search of the database with around five million registered donors actually resulted in two hits, a donor in Russia and Kevin. When I was told that a donor had been found, my wife Gudrun and I were very happy and excited to see what would happen next. I was admitted to the Leipzig University Hospital on October 12, 2016 and the transplant took place on November 1.”
Rolf said his stay at the clinic “wasn’t easy”, but was necessary to continue living. He described feeling lonely and being fed sterilised food. He said: “The worst was the boredom in the isolation cell and the food, which was reheated several times to ensure it was sterile.”
Mike Peters (left) and Kevin Davies -Credit:Kevin Davies
However, after a few days he was delighted by some positive news. He said: “After a couple of days the doctors told me things were going well and my chances of survival were 85% which I was happy with. To the doctors’ great surprise, I had very few side effects, probably because I had strictly followed their instructions. After the transplant I decided to retire. I now enjoy flying model aircraft, taking care of my pet hamster, King Kong II, and spending time with my many friends who have been very supportive.
“I consider the contact with Kevin and his wife Jo to be special. Thanks to Kevin I got to see my 60th birthday, and now I’m enjoying a good life and I expect to see my 70th. They‘ve visited us in Leipzig, and are planning another visit next year.”
Kevin, who is a father of two and grandfather to one said: “Being a donor has really changed my life. I helped save people while in the police, but this surpasses it. What more can you do in life than give something as simple as your stem cells to enable someone else to continue to live their life fully. It really is a fantastic feeling.”
Love Hope Strength founder and honorary president, Mike Peters said: “Kevin and I worked in a warehouse together when we were teenagers and we bought our first records together. It’s fantastic that he has been able to help Rolf and they have met and stayed in touch. Someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer every 20 minutes.
“We can only find a match for about 60% of patients needing a stem cell transplant at the moment, so getting more donors on the list is vital. Becoming a donor is so easy. You just order a free cheek swab from the comfort of your own home, and send it back to us with your sample to get on the register. Please do it today as it might be a member of your family or a friend who needs a stem cell transplant in the future.”
Anyone between 17 and 55 years can be added to the stem cell register once they’ve answered a few health questions to ensure they’re cleared to donate. More details of how to order a swab kit online are here. In 90% of cases, if a donor on the register is found to be a match, stem cells are collected directly from the bloodstream in a procedure that’s similar to giving blood. The collected stem cells are transplanted to the patient in a procedure similar to a blood transfusion.
Blood cancers are the fifth most common type of cancer, with more than 12 million new cases diagnosed worldwide every year. They are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK with nearly 13,000 people dying from blood cancer in the UK every year. At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant.
Donate to the Love Hope Strength Foundation and help those affected by blood cancer. To order a swab kit click on this link http://dkms.org.uk/lhs_24. For more information on the Love Hope Strength Foundation visit lovehopestrength.org