Date: 29th January, 2020
A Trowbridge firefighter is hoping his battle against leukaemia will lead to other cancer sufferers receiving life-saving treatment.
Watch Manager Guy Tadman was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at the end of November and has spent most of the last two months in the Royal United Hospital, Bath.
He has just finished his second round of chemotherapy and is now awaiting a decision by his doctors about the next steps in his treatment. However, it seems most likely that he will need a stem cell transplant, possibly via a partial match from a family member.
Guy said: “Finding a good stem cell match is really difficult, so getting more people registered as potential donors improves the odds for everyone in the situation I’m in. I’m incredibly lucky to have so many friends and colleagues who want to help, and it would be amazing if one of them proved to be the ‘golden ticket’ for someone with cancer.”
The Fire Brigades Union is leading the push for donors, and dozens of Guy’s colleagues from Trowbridge fire station and elsewhere in Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have already registered with the charity DKMS.
Kate Scott, from the FBU, said: “Guy is a good friend to so many people in our Service but also in the wider fire family. Everyone wants to step up and do something, and hopefully one of the new donors will be a match for him or someone else. We’re also encouraging people to contribute financially, as every new donor swab kit costs the charity £40.”
DWFRS road safety manager Christine Sharma has already raised £1,930 for the Bloodwise charity by going #DryforGuy in a sponsored dry January – £1,114 of this came from Pewsey fire station, who held a car wash on 4 January, supported by colleagues from Marlborough.
Other fundraising events, including car washes, a ladder climb and an equipment carry challenge, are being planned across the Service in support of the charities helping Guy and his family.
To register as a stem cell donor, visit www.dkms.org.uk