In this episode I spoke with Andrew Foster about the stem cell journey and subsequent loss of his son, Rycroft at sixteen months, who had a rare inherited condition, called Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome.

At the time we recorded this, it was only nine months after Rycroft had died and as you might imagine, it’s an emotional and heartfelt discussion. Andrew is a passionate campaigner for change and we talked about the importance of education and the opportunity to drive up the numbers of people of the stem cell register in the UK and beyond. For listeners who are coming to terms with loss or who are in early stages of grief, a great resource for those needing support is www.thegoodgrieftrust.org

You can find out more about Rycroft’s story at www.rycroftforever.com

It's always a privilege to speak to my guests and hear their inspiring stories. Since recording, Andrew and his wife, Catherine have welcomed a baby girl to their family, Seraphina.

Andrew has also been campaigning tirelessly for change through the family’s campaign, Rycroft Forever; and thanks to Andrew, DKMS are currently working closely with the London Broncos to encourage young Rugby teams to sign up to the stem cell register.

In this episode, recorded at the end of last year, I chatted with Liam Rooney, Patient and Families Manager and Car T Cell Therapy Clinical Nurse Specialist, Emily John, both from Anthony Nolan.

We discussed the important roles they play within Anthony Nolan and the important work AN does with and for families in providing support, not just for the patient, but also the families and friends who are supporting the patient going through cancer or a blood disorder.

We discussed Car T Cell therapy, what it is, why and when it is used and the difference between Car T cell therapy and chemotherapy in terms of treatment for cancer and blood disorders.

Finally, we discussed a project Anthony Nolan has been focusing on around bereavement and grief and the impact grief has on the families and friends left behind and how the charity hopes to be able to offer more services to families who have lost loved ones on the pathway to stem cell transplant or car T cell therapy.

I’m so grateful, as always to my guests for their time, lively and informative discussion and compassionate conversation around some difficult and complex topics.

If you are interested in reaching out to Anthony Nolan for any help, guidance or assistance, you can contact them on 0303 303 0303 or, particularly if you are interested in speaking to someone around the grief and bereavement project, please email involve@anthonynolan.org

You can find out more about the charity, getting involved and signing up to the stem cell register here at www.anthonynolan.org

In this episode I spoke with Charis Ober - Executive Director and Founder of the Save the Cord Foundation based in Tucson, Arizona.

We chatted about the history of the Foundation, the importance of cord blood and all the possibilities for saving a life, including through regenerative medicine and stem cell transplants.

We also heard about the brand new educational programme, Cord Blood in the Classroom, being launched on World Cord Blood Day on 15 November 2024. I hope you enjoy the listen.

It is always a pleasure and a privilege to speak with my guests on this podcast and I hope you find this an inspiring listen.

Useful links are below:

https://www.savethecordfoundation.org/

https://www.nextgenerationcordblood.org/

https://www.worldcordbloodday.org/