Global search for lifesaving bone marrow donor finds a near-perfect match just 15 miles from patient’s home.

After a search of over 40 million volunteer bone marrow donors from Registries across the world, fifteen-year-old patient Taisha Taylor found an incredibly rare match just 30-minutes’ drive from her home.

Now aged 20, Taisha overcame a life-inhibiting disorder thanks to a lifesaving bone marrow donation from a complete stranger, Kirsty Burnett, in 2019. For World Marrow Donor Day (September 16), the pair are sharing their story to encourage more people to join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Taisha, from Newbridge, was diagnosed with the rare inherited immunodeficiency disorder, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) as a child. People with the condition have failing immune systems, leaving the body vulnerable to chronic inflammation and potentially life-threatening infections. Taisha was one of the first females in the world to be diagnosed and thankfully cured of the condition through a bone marrow transplant.

Due to the rarity of the condition, doctors attempted several treatments, all of which were unsuccessful. Taisha’s last hope of recovery was to receive a bone marrow transplant. After not finding a suitable donor within her family, Taisha was dependent on the generosity of finding a match from an unrelated bone marrow donor.

“I wanted to become a dancer and work with animals, but I couldn’t. But now I can. I hope Kirsty knows; it is because of her I am here living the life I could only wish for when I was sat on the floor doing those stretches every morning.

“Everyone has that chance of being matched and potentially saving someone’s life. My life has been saved thanks to Kirsty. I would encourage everyone to please sign up to the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry and give someone like me the hope that better days will come.

World Marrow Donor Day (WMDD) is an initiative of the World Marrow Donor Association. Registries and transplant centres across the globe use this special day to thank all bone marrow donors worldwide.

It is a day to raise awareness among the general public and decision-makers about the importance of registering as a bone marrow donor and the impact of a bone marrow transplantation on a patient’s life.

Christopher Harvey, Head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, said, “To put it simply, we need more young people to join our Registry. Right now, three in 10 patients will not find the matched donor they desperately need, and that statistic rises to seven in 10 if you are from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background.

There are two ways 17 to 30-year-olds can join the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, by requesting a swab kit online or, like Kirsty, whilst giving blood.