Lillie – Humans of Avon and Somerset

“If there was an opportunity to help save someone’s life or simply give them more time with the people they love, then of course I wanted to do it!”

After a few years as part of the detainee investigations team, I knew I wanted to do more. I wanted to be out in the community, providing a helping hand in someone’s time of need. So, when there was a chance to join the local neighbourhood policing team as a PCSO, I knew I had to take it

As a PCSO, helping people is at the heart of everything I do. No two days are the same, and every day brings its own unique challenges and opportunities for me to make a difference in someone’s life.

But the most meaningful opportunity I’ve ever had to help someone came from a decision I made nearly ten years ago, when I signed up to become a stem cell donor.

Every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer. Sadly, my grandma was one of those people. Within the same year, my best friend was also diagnosed with cancer.

At the time, signing up with DKMS felt like a small thing I could do that might one day help someone else facing a similar battle. I never imagined that, ten years later, I’d get the call to say I’d been matched with someone. On 1 May, I found out I was a match. I couldn’t have been more excited or happier to receive that call.

Around 2,000 people in the UK are waiting for a stem cell transplant, while only 7% of eligible people are registered as potential donors. Knowing that I could give someone a second chance felt like a miracle.

I donated through the peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) method. For four days beforehand, I had injections of a medication called G-CSF, which encourages stem cells to move from the bone marrow into the bloodstream.

The injections left me feeling achy, and I experienced some pain in my lower back, but it was all manageable and a small price to pay considering the reason behind it.

The donation itself took place over two days in London. My husband, Sam, came with me, and DKMS made everything incredibly straightforward. Every part of the process was designed to make things as easy and stress-free as possible for donors.

On the day of donation, I spent around seven hours in a hospital bed while blood was taken from my left arm, passed through a machine that collected my stem cells, and then returned the remaining blood components through my other arm. It was a very straightforward process, and the staff who looked after me were amazing from start to finish.

Looking back now, what stays with me most is the fact that I know very little about the person who received my stem cells.

I don’t know their name or their story. I only knew their age and that they’re in Switzerland.

I don’t know what they’ve been through or what lies ahead for them. What I do know is that somewhere in Switzerland there is a person and a family whose lives have been affected by blood cancer or a blood disorder, and I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to help.

“You never know when you might be the person who is able to give someone that second chance.”

My job means I’m surrounded by people who care about their community and want to make a difference, so I’d love to use my experience to encourage colleagues, friends, family and members of the public to consider joining the stem cell register too.

 It takes just a few minutes online to register with DKMS, and all you need to do is order a free swab kit and provide a simple cheek swab at home.

I signed up nearly ten years ago thinking it was just a small thing I could do to help someone one day. I never expected that person would actually exist or that I’d one day have the chance to help them.

One small decision could make an enormous difference to someone and their family. You never know when you might be the person who can give someone that second chance.

To find out more or register as a potential stem cell donor, visit dkms.org.uk and order your free swab kit.