Cancer survivor 'friends for life' with stem cell donor after two year search for 'lifesaver'

Lifesaver: Nicky Turzoc with stem cell donor Annette Hamson
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Sophie Goodchild25 October 2017

A woman who battled blood cancer says she has a “friendship for life” with the donor who saved her.

Nicky Turkoz, 52, a carer and mother of two, had to wait two years under transplant rules before she could find out the identity of the stranger who donated their stem cells.

She finally met 49-year-old Annette Hamson a few weeks ago. Both arrived with the same gift for the other — a bottle of prosecco.

Ms Turkoz said: “I can’t explain the magnitude of what that transplant meant to me. I will forever be in her debt. We hope to meet up again before Christmas — we have a friendship for life.”

Ms Turkoz was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in December 2014 and failed to respond to three rounds of chemotherapy.

Nicky Turkoz whose life was saved by a stem cell donation from Annette Hamson

There were no suitable stem cell donors in her family — but Ms Hamson was a potential match. The NHS healthcare assistant had signed up to the Anthony Nolan register after a child at her local nursery was diagnosed with leukaemia.

She said: “I had lost both my mum and dad so the thought of someone else going through the pain of losing someone boosted me to do it.”

The procedure took place in May 2015, with Ms Hamson travelling from her home in Northampton to University College Hospital in London for the life-saving cells to be collected.

The cells were taken by courier to a Southampton hospital where Ms Turkoz, from Bournemouth, received them within 72 hours.

She is now cured, and next year will be attending the wedding of her 25-year-old daughter Meltem — where Ms Hamson will be guest of honour.

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