Young engineer encourages peers to join stem cell register

“Everyday people can do extraordinary things, thanks to the incredible technology that has been developed.”

David Gould MEng EngTech MIMechE, this year’s recipient of Anthony Nolan’s Donor Champion of the Year award, is encouraging others to become involved, and potentially save another person’s life.

David, a TfL engineer, joined the donor register for blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan while he was a student. He wants to make more people aware of how straightforward it is to support Anthony Nolan’s work. He explains why the charity needs to recruit more young men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds as donors.

While I was at the University of Leeds, a fellow student was diagnosed with Anaplastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Fortunately, he received a stem cell transplant and made a full recovery. I had signed up to the stem cell register, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that I was called upon to donate. It came out of the blue: I was on my lunch break when I got a text message from Anthony Nolan saying ‘we think you could be a match’. I called them straight back and that started off the process, which led to me donating stem cells in April this year.

After a few days of preliminary injections to stimulate stem cell production, I spent around half a day in hospital hooked up to a machine while the stem cells were collected. It was amazing to have the machines whirring and beeping, the science and technology encapsulated in them making the donation experience, for me, quite straightforward. I wrote a blog about it to help demystify the process.

I am proud to spread the word about the amazing difference that stem cell donation can make to a blood cancer patient and, of course, to the lives of all their loved ones, too. When I was new to the process I was quite nervous and wanted to understand what impact being a donor might have on me, and how it would feel. I thought it would help others to know about the whole experience, so I agreed with Anthony Nolan that I would speak publicly about it. I don’t feel as if I have done anything remarkable, it was only what I genuinely consider to be ‘the right thing to do’, when faced with the potential opportunity to save someone’s life.

TfL has been very supportive and recognises the importance of what I have done. I was able to take a few days off work to carry out the process and then TfL helped raise awareness of the charity and stem cell donation via our intranet. I am grateful that they have helped me increase the impact of my donation in this way.

Yes, blood cancer patients from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds need donors from those communities to come forward, in order to improve their outcomes. Only 69% of transplant recipients receive the best match, but this drops to around 20.5% for those of BAME background. I signed up as a student and I am Jewish, so I’m from a minority ethnic background. The charity needs more men aged 16-30 to join, as they are most likely to be chosen to donate, yet make up just 16% of the register. I also understand, from Anthony Nolan’s research, that younger donors offer better survival rates for patients.

Through the Anthony Nolan charity, ordinary people are given the opportunity to make a life-changing difference thanks to the incredible technology that has been developed. As engineers, we are always trying to improve the lives of people around us. I see that in my job, working for an organisation which is focused on improving transport and the travel experience of millions of people, and I also experienced it through the creative medical devices employed in stem cell donation and transplants. It’s all about the positive impact we can have on the world.

David is encouraging Members of the Institution to sign up to Anthony Nolan, the blood cancer charity, to help in whatever way they can – this could be registering as a donor or fundraising.

Find out more about donating and the work of Anthony Nolan.