Rik Basra, a father of two daughters was almost told to make funeral arrangements when he was fighting Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 2009 until he found a last-minute stem cell donor in Germany.
'I have two daughters and a granddaughter and I wouldn't have known her and she wouldn't have known me if it wasn't for the donation,' he told Leicester Live.
He was diagnosed with a deadly form of blood cancer in 2009, which relapsed in 2011. After a successful cell transplant the former Leicestershire Police employee got a new life. "I had actually finished my last round of chemotherapy and they couldn't give me anymore, because it would have killed me. But they managed to find a donor at the 11th hour from someone in Germany. I had been told to make funeral arrangements,” he said.
He was shocked when he found a last minute donor in Germany which was no less than a miracle for him. Much like Rik, someone is diagnosed with this condition every 14 minutes and needs the same stem cell treatment that saved his life.
Finding a true match is already difficult, and Covid-19 has only made it worse. Lesser people are ready or willing to donate.
Since his treatment, he has set up the Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign in which he seeks to help people from all different backgrounds join the register and reassures them about any worries they may have.
