AN Islander is to mark the tenth anniversary of his life-saving bone marrow transplant by running the London Marathon.
Ben Hick will be running in aid of Anthony Nolan – a charity which provided support to him when, as a teenager, he battled a rare genetic condition which damaged his immune system.
The 28-year-old was diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disorder when he was a toddler and, after first contracting fungal pneumonia at the age of 15, spent around three years in and out of hospital.
Mr Hick said: ‘A bone-marrow transplant had always been discussed as it was the only cure, but it had always been a risky procedure.
‘However, the way that medicine had advanced meant that the techniques they used had become a lot safer in recent years. After the third time having fungal pneumonia, it was really affecting my life so I took the decision to have a bone-marrow transplant in 2013.’
The Anthony Nolan charity uses a register to find potential stem-cell donor matches for those in need of transplants.
In June 2013, Mr Hick underwent the procedure on the Teenage Cancer Trust Ward at the UCL Hospital in London. Mr Hick said the transplant involved having chemotherapy and spending four months in London – two-and-a-half of which were in complete isolation.
Since then, Mr Hick has become an ambassador for the local branch of the charity, Jersey Friends of Anthony Nolan, speaking in schools and workplaces about how signing up to the stem-cell register can save someone’s life.
And to mark the tenth anniversary since his life-saving operation, Mr Hick will be taking part in this year’s London Marathon.
‘I came up with the idea a couple of years ago when I was thinking about ways to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of my transplant,’ he said. ‘My best mate and my sister actually ran the London Marathon last year in aid of Anthony Nolan and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
‘I went to watch them and the buzz was incredible – I didn’t understand how big an event it was until I went.
‘It was only ever going to be the London Marathon. To go back to the city that I had my transplant in feels like I’ve come full circle. It’s all about the charity that saved my life. Every step will be for every person who needs a transplant.’
He added that he hopes to raise as much money and awareness for Anthony Nolan as possible, and has set himself a £3,000 target.
