Daughter's life 'completely changed' by Cambridgeshire man's blood cancer battle
Terry Brownbill is in need of a stem cell transplant
Last updated 5th Feb 2024
The daughter of a Cambridgeshire man fighting blood cancer says his diagnosis has completely changed her life.
Terry Brownbill from Needingworth was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in last November, who is in need of a perfect stem cell match.
Terry, a retired journalist and aspiring artist, was initially misdiagnosed with Covid and now needs a stem cell transplant to recover.
People were encouraged to attend a donor registration event at Holywell Church of England Primary School to mark World Cancer Day yesterday (Sunday 4th), in part thanks to Terry's eight-year-old grandson Jasper who promoted a video calling for donors on social media.
Terry's daughter Jess told us how she's been affected by the situation:
"It's been devastating and to be told there's no match in the world seems unbelievable," she said.
"On a personal level, it's been really difficult; it's hard to watch someone you love go through something which is really horrible.
"Dad was very independent and well, and now he's needing to be taken to appointments, looking after and cooking for him so my life's completely changed.
"But we're trying to keep our eyes on the end goal of getting dad back to how he wants to be."
More than 2,000 people a year in need of stem cell transplant
Blood cancer charity DKMS found that in the UK, more than 2,000 people are in need of a stem cell transplant each year and of that group, four out of 10 won't find a match.
Figures from the charity show almost 13,000 people in the UK die from blood cancer every year, and more than 39,000 people in this country are diagnosed with this cancer type a year.
DKMS say blood cancer accounts for nearly half of all new types of cancer diagnosed in children and every year, more than 600 children aged under 15 are diagnosed with this.
"You just have to crack on"
Previously, Terry told us that despite the situation, he can't dwell on it.
"Your life is on hold and you don't know how long you've got to live, but you just have to crack on and give yourself the best chance by being positive, but it's quite a difficult thing to do under these circumstances," he said.
"I won't survive without a stem cell transplant; we're battling through to buy time."
Looking ahead, Jess hopes there is a wider message that can be sent:
"Lots of people I speak to had never heard of the stem cell register before and are willing to sign up; hopefully it helps raise the awareness and how easy it is to save someone's life through joining it.
"I think the word 'transplant' sounds quite daunting, so hopefully educating people that it is something which is so simple.
"To get on the register, it's a minor inconvenience to your life and what a way to go on living your life knowing you've saved somebody else."