Nathan Hall was 15 when fears over his constant fatigue led to a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia.
A relapse after chemotherapy left him needing a bone marrow transplant, but this was successful and gave him back his life – and a future.
Nathan, now 23, has just completed a BSc degree in biomedical science at University of York and he hopes to be accepted for a masters to research improving leukaemia treatments – while working with the York Marrow charity.
The graduate said: “I feel really thankful just to be here. I want to help other people that have been through what I have and, hopefully, one day improve treatments.”
Nathan, urging people to test to become a bone marrow donor, added: “It is really easy yet can change people’s lives.”
Leukaemia, a form of blood cancer, affects those of all ages – with 28 people diagnosed every day in the UK.
Survival rates, with early detection crucial, stand at just over 50 per cent, making it the third deadliest, killing 5,000 people a year in Britain.
The Express is crusading for people to join the 27 million on the NHS Blood and Transplant Organ Donor Register.
