Bone marrow patient meets donor

Paul and David say they will stay in touch

"Without Paul I wouldn't be here today - how do you thank someone for that?"

In his back garden in Stockport, David Smirthwaite is stood arm-in-arm with the man who donated the bone marrow that saved his life.

It is a scene that neither he nor his family could have pictured a few years ago.

In 2003 the father-of-two was told that he would probably die within four years after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, bone-marrow cancer.

"I'd had a bad tummy and I was exhausted, but I didn't expect anything like this.

"I had a blood test and then suddenly I was called in and it was all emergency stations.

This was a very special day in all our lives, which we had been waiting for, and what a brilliant day it was Donor Paul Falco and recipent David Smirthwaite

"We were devastated. My first question was - how long have I got?

"Our daughter was doing her GCSEs and our severely disabled son needs 24-hour-care. I couldn't work - we were terrified."

Despite two effective autologous transplants, in which his own stem cells were transplanted, in 2006 he was told he would need bone marrow from another donor.

'Lost sight'

A match was found less than a year later with Paul Falco, a company director from Essex who was on the bone marrow register.

His blood sample and tissue type were a perfect match. His bone marrow was donated to Mr Smirthwaite in 2007.

Now, two years on, the pair have met each other face-to-face, after an event which they say, "changed both of their lives".

Mr Falco, 38, said: "When I first heard from David it made me cry - this person's talking about me saving their life, but in reality they've saved me because it's made me think about the importance of life.

"It's hard to describe how it feels - it's like when you fall in love - you know something's changed, but it's not tangible, you just feel different. I never imagined I'd feel this way.

"I used to be so driven in my work that I'd lost sight of what's important."

Multiple myeloma - bone marrow cancer White plasma cells undergo cancerous changes Disrupts the normal production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets Affects lower spine and hips Can result in osteoporosis, bone fractures and poor mobility In the UK, about 3,000 people a year develop it

The Anthony Nolan Trust, the charity which recruits new donors and undertakes research into bone marrow transplants, said there were still 16,000 people worldwide currently in need of a donor.

Mr Smirthwaite and Mr Falco have been writing anonymous letters to each other, through the trust, since their respective operations.

After two years, patients are allowed to meet their donors.

They said: "This was a very special day in all our lives, which we had been waiting for, and what a brilliant day it was.

"We have both been incredibly lucky to find each other and we will be keeping in touch."

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