The touching moment a cancer patient meets the stem cell donor who saved her

A blood cancer survivor shared a heartwarming encounter with the young stranger who made the stem cell donation that saved her life.

Alison Belsham, 57, from Newport, held back tears as she walked up to her donor, 31-year-old Rachel Rees, and invited her in for a hug, telling her there would “never be enough words” to thank her.

In 2017, Mrs Belsham was diagnosed with leukaemia for the second time, prompting a worldwide search for a bone marrow donor.

Eventually, doctors found a match on the other side of the world, in Australia, where Mrs Rees, who is originally from Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, was living at the time.

Now, a video has surfaced online showing the couple’s emotional meeting, which is sure to make your jaws quiver.

Alison Belsham, 57, (left) met Rachel Rees, 31, (right), the woman who first saved her life

Rachel was in shock after flying from Australia to visit her family who had arranged the surprise visit

Donor Rachel was found after a worldwide search, but is from a few miles away from Alison, but now lives in Australia

The clamp shows Mrs Belsham expressing her appreciation for Mrs Rees, saying: ‘I now have the chance to live a full life, spend precious time with my children and see my grandson grow up.’

Mrs Rees flew home from Australia expecting to visit friends and loved ones in her hometown.

But unbeknownst to her, her family and the stem cell recipient organized a surprise meeting for the two.

The transplant Mrs Belsham received used Rachel’s healthy donor stem cells to replace her own cancer-causing cells, and she has been cancer-free ever since.

The women hope their story will encourage more people to join the registry and help in the fight against blood cancer.

“My initial treatment consisted of five rounds of chemotherapy, which appeared to be successful,” said Mrs Belsham.

‘However, after a year and a half in remission, I received a phone call saying my cancer had returned.

‘The news was devastating for me and my family, as the future became uncertain again.

‘My doctor explained to me how important it was to find a donor now, because a stem cell transplant was the last hope to save my life.’

In the UK, around a quarter of a million people are living with blood cancer, with over 40,000 people being diagnosed each year.

While some patients can be successfully treated with chemotherapy and surgery, in other patients this treatment can disrupt the body’s ability to produce new and healthy blood cells.

Alison and Rachel (middle) with their two families in Wales

In these cases, patients need a stem cell transplant: special cells produced by the bone marrow that can develop into different types of cells.

Despite there being more than 40 million stem cell volunteers worldwide, three in ten patients cannot find a suitable donor.

“I’m so proud of her, proud of her recovery, proud of her perseverance and I’m just so grateful that she reached out to me,” Ms Rees said.

“I’m so happy to see Alison happy and healthy. It’s so special for our families to meet.”

Christopher Harvey, Head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, said: ‘Blood cancer patients around the world are faced with the increasingly urgent search for a suitable stem cell match every day.

‘The requirements for matching a patient to a donor are very specific, but the chances of finding a life-saving match increase as more volunteers sign up.

‘If you are between 16 and 30 years old and from a white background, or between 16 and 45 years old and from a black, Asian, mixed or minority ethnic background, then you may be the only person in the world who is right for you.

‘That’s why we’re urging more people to sign up to our register and help people like Alison in their greatest need.’