There aren't many decisions you make 20 years previously which out of the blue suddenly demand your immediate attention. Investing in Premium Bonds, if you miraculously one day become a winner, might be one of them. Another is finding out you're a match.
When I was at university I decided to give blood donation a go. While there Anthony Nolan were swabbing; as I was about to have a needle stuck in my arm having my mouth swabbed seemed a trifling imposition by comparison. So I signed up without hesitation. For some days afterwards I wondered when I would hear back. But the days turned into weeks, then months, then years and finally decades.
All that time I knew I was on the register but it wasn't exactly at the forefront of my thoughts. Until last week: I emerged from court, turned on my phone and saw a missed call and a text message. The voicemail and the text said the same thing. I was a match and needed to call back as soon as possible.
I'm ashamed to admit that my very first reaction was that maybe this was some kind of weird scam. That was quickly followed by a restless excitement, then nervousness and finally the classic barrister's worry of how this would fit into my diary. I rang straight back and spoke to an extremely nice man who explained all the next steps.
He said I would need to provide a blood sample and asked if he could arrange for the nurse to see me during the call. I idiotically thought for a moment he meant literally then and there on a street corner in Huntingdon. He clarified that while they were keen they weren't that keen. Instead he asked if the following day would be convenient. I said it was.
After the call I was sent a questionnaire to complete with my health history. It also asked me to confirm my contact details and I was briefly thrown by seeing my childhood landline. Fortunately I have only ever had one mobile phone number and email address but I realised in that moment what a headache it must be when a match is found and contact details are years out of date. IF YOU'RE ON THE REGISTER PLEASE UPDATE THEM TODAY.
The next day a nurse turned up promptly in mask and apron. She had a blood pressure cuff on my right arm, an oximeter on my left hand and a temperature gun against my head within a couple of minutes. I made a note of the stats and have already taken steps to address a rather higher blood pressure reading than I would have liked to see.
For now my blood is in the lab for final checking of compatibility. I do not yet know whether I will be found suitable for donation or not. There is no doubt in my mind that I will do it if I am. I was told there is a 1 in 900 chance of being a match.
While I'm on this wholly unexpected journey that I put my name down for all those years ago I thought I might keep a record of my thoughts and experiences. Most of all however I want to take this opportunity to urge you to register if you have not. Almost every one of us would accept a donation if we were gravely ill and, in my view, this is one of those occasions in life when it is genuinely better to be able to give than to have to receive:
https://www.anthonynolan.org/help-save-a-life/join-stem-cell-register
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