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In 2017, Robert Morgan was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome – a rare form of blood cancer which stopped his body producing healthy cells.

He was told his only chance of survival was to have a bone marrow transplant.

Now aged 64, Robert, from Aberbargoed, has for the first time met with the complete stranger whose bone marrow donation saved his life.

“It was a shock to hear the big word. The Big C. I went downhill quickly, became tired and struggled to work.” Robert said.

Fortunately, Robert was one of the seven in ten patients across the UK able to find a suitable bone marrow match, thanks to the donation from 30-year-old Tom Heaven from Dinas Powys. 

If it wasn’t for Tom, I wouldn’t be here,” Robert said. “I would have missed out on so much, including meeting my great-granddaughter.”

Before meeting Tom to mark the launch of the Welsh Blood Service’s #ChilledOutLifesaver campaign, Robert said: “Without that donor, without Tom, I wouldn’t be standing here now. It is so difficult to describe the thought of ‘I have a chance’.  

“I didn’t have a clue what to say. My first thoughts were should I shake his hand, or should I hug and kiss him?”

Tom joined the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry while giving blood and is hoping more people aged between 17 and 30 will also donate.

Tom said: “When I first donated blood, it was an option on a form, and I ticked it and gave samples thinking that the chances of being matched were probably very slim. Two years later, I got the call to say I was potentially a match with a patient.” 

“To hear Robert’s side of the story, knowing that I’ve helped save someone’s life and knowing they can obviously spend more time with their family, is a really, really good thing.”

Head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Emma Cook, said: “The chances of being chosen as the perfect match for a patient anywhere in the world is extremely rare, but the opportunity to find a life-saving match increases as more donors sign up. 

“Each year, over 50,000 patients across the globe hope to find a suitable bone marrow match from an unrelated donor. 

Emma continued: “You could be the one and only person in the world who could be the match – which is why we need more people to sign up to the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry and increase a patient’s chance of survival.”