'It was outstanding to be backed by my own community' - Telford 21-year-old battling cancer grateful for donor drive
A 21-year-old from Telford who is battling cancer has thanked the Shropshire community for turning out in numbers to help find him a stem cell donor match.
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Marshall Davies was diagnosed with Folliculotropic mycosis fungoides, a rare and potentially aggressive type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, last year.
Last week, non-profit organisation Race Against Blood Cancer launched an appeal to find a stem cell donor match for the 21-year-old.
The first 'donor drive' for Marshall was held at Southwater in Telford town centre yesterday (December 23) where residents were invited to sign up to the donor register, in hopes of finding an eligible match for Marshall.
A total of 67 people signed up to the stem cell register at the donor drive in Telford, and Marshall was overwhelmed with the support he received.
"It went really well," said the 21-year-old, "considering it is Christmas, a busy period and people are out shopping and don't have a lot of time.
"It was absolutely outstanding that I was getting backed by my own community, I thought it was amazing.
"It's about raising awareness for everybody else too - it is not just me, those people are signing up to help thousands.
"It was great to see people coming out and asking about the different illnesses and day-to-day life, and showing some genuine interest."
Marshall, from Dawley, discussed his illness with residents who were keen to see how he is handling things and explained what it takes to sign up.
The 21-year-old will wait to find out if he has a match, but efforts will continue into 2025 with several more donor drives planned.
"It was great how the Telford community pulled together," added Race Against Blood Cancer's engagement manager, Gemma.
"Obviously, there is more work to be done, so we are arranging more donor drives in Telford, around Shropshire and the West Midlands. But, we are really happy with how the day went, the volunteers were fantastic. It couldn't have gone any better to be honest.
"More than 400 people have signed up to the stem cell register online.
"Our charity's aim is to increase diversity on the stem cell register because if you are from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME), the chances of finding a match are really low.
"Having said that, we try and help anybody from any walks of life.
"There could have been a match the first ten we signed up. It only takes that person to walk through the door and sign up.
"We're going to continue to support Marshall - but not only him, more than 2,000 people who are waiting for a stem cell transplant."
