Quick overview:
‘There wasn’t a single part of my body that wasn’t in pain’
A fit and healthy teenager thought he just had a virus. Then he made a horrifying discovery, and it took complete stranger coming forward to save his life.
At 18-years-old, Abraham Treuhaft could run a 10k in 40 minutes, was at college in the North East of England, and loved travelling. In 2017, he had just returned from a trip to Italy and was looking forward to a big meal prepared by his mum for his homecoming to Salford.
Then, Abraham’s mum noticed that his skin was yellow and when he climbed the stairs he felt dizzy. At first, Abraham thought it was just a virus – the reality was far more sinister.
A visit to the GP and tests confirmed it was a blood cancer which starts in the white blood cells in the bone marrow. Abraham was diagnosed with a type of cancer known as ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) in June 2017.
He was referred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester where a stem cell transplant was recommended and an international search for a donor began. While waiting to see if a match could be found, Abraham was given four rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“Nothing prepares you for such events,” Abraham explained, who suffered badly from the side-effects of the chemotherapy drug: “It’s a difficult journey.
“Losing my hair was the most obvious side-effect to anyone who saw me, but in fact that was the least of my concerns. From the tips of my toes to the top of my head, there wasn’t a single part of my body that wasn’t affected by the cancer and gave me pain.
“Cancer turns your life upside down and everything completely changes. It’s an enormous challenge but you can survive.”
After four and a half months a donor was found who was a match for Abraham. He was in Israel, and like Abraham, Jewish and just two years older.
There are ten basic genetic markers that medics look for to find the right donor and Roy Horn, who was then 20-years-old, had all of them, so he was a ’10/10 match’.
Despite being a perfect match and the transplant working, Abraham’s body tried to reject the stem cells from Roy for two years, so he had to take anti-rejection drugs and endured a tough, scary and uncertain time.
At one point, he was told by doctors he only had four weeks to live. Fortunately, his body began to accept the stem cells and gradually his health was restored.
Although in the UK donors and recipients can meet after two years, Abraham wanted to wait a further year to be sure the transplant was successful before flying to Israel to meet the man who saved his life.
Abraham’s donor, Roy Horn, said: “When I signed up to the be a stem cell donor I don’t think I truly realised the significance of what it meant in terms of saving someone’s life. It was amazing to meet Abraham and quite emotional to be honest.
“When we met and found we had so much in common it really brought it home to me what I’d done for a complete stranger, and it felt good.
“Abraham is such a lovely guy, and I’m so pleased I could help him. I think we’ll always stay in touch now. If you can, join the register and you could also give a blood cancer patient a new lease of life.”
Abraham, who now teaches and mentors young boys who learn and thrive better outside of a classroom, said: “This might sound strange but getting cancer is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It’s made me who I am.
“The experience has helped me relate to, and better understand, the kids I work with, and they respect me more because they know what I’ve been through.
“Since I got a second chance of life I have wanted to see the world and make memories so I’ve visited 80 countries since 2019 as north as Norway and east as Japan, along with having amazing experiences in countries such as Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Guatemala and Brazil to name but a few.
“I also got married to my wife, Jade, last year. I want to live every day to the fullest and look forward to sharing my future with her.”
Love Hope Strength Foundation works in partnership with blood cancer charity DKMS to get more people in the UK to sign up to the stem cell register. DKMS holds the UK’s biggest register of potential stem cell donors.
Anyone who orders a swab kit via the Love Hope Strength website goes onto the DKMS register, and are looked after by DKMS if they are found to be a compatible match for someone needing a stem cell transplant.
“At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant so the more people we can get on the register the better. Sadly someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer every 20 minutes yet currently we can only find a match for about 60 per cent of patients needing a stem cell transplant. Becoming a donor is so easy,” says Love Hope Strength chair, Jules Peters.
“You just order a free cheek swab from the comfort of your own home, and send it back to us with your sample to get on the register. Please do it today as it might be a member of your family or a friend who needs a stem cell transplant in the future.”
Anyone between 17 and 55 years can be added to the stem cell register once they’ve answered a few health questions to ensure they’re cleared to donate.
In 90 per cent of cases, if a donor on the register is found to be a match, stem cells are collected directly from the bloodstream in a procedure that’s similar to giving blood. The collected stem cells are transplanted to the patient in a procedure similar to a blood transfusion.
Published: 2025-04-08 17:38:16 | Author: [email protected] (Helena Vesty) | Source: MEN – News
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Tags: #skin #started #turning #yellow #dizzy #climbing #stairs #stranger #saved #life
