Trust nurse donates lifesaving stem cells
Stacey Ratcliff, Roald Dahl Paediatric Epilepsy Clinical Nurse Specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, has donated stem cells for a patient who needed a lifesaving stem cell transplant (also known as a bone marrow transplant.) Stem cells are used to help save the lives of people with blood cancer and blood disorders.
After 15 years on the British Bone Marrow Registry, Stacey was contacted at the end of 2019 with the news that she was a potential match for a patient. This led to her making a stem cell donation at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, just before lockdown began. Here is her story:
The procedure
“Making a donation was anxiety provoking, for me and the team supporting me, as this was unknown territory. Covid-19 had brought about much uncertainty, and continues to be a challenge for all working in healthcare.
“After a medical examination and investigation to ensure I was fit and well before the donation, a date was set in March 2020 for the procedure to transfer the stem cells called apheresis. In the four days before the procedure to harvest my stem cells, I was given a medication called GCSF, to increase my production and mobilisation of stem cells.
“The apheresis procedure to separate and collect the stem cells from my circulating blood took four hours. My target was to produce four million stem cells and 300ml of plasma for the patient. Luckily I had been particularly sensitive to the GCSF and produced over 10 million stem cells and easily donated the 300ml of plasma. This was fantastic news as the team then informed me that they would be able to create two possible transplants from my donation for the patient. One would be administered and the second would be frozen in case they needed a stem cell transplant in the future.
“While I was taking the GCSF, the patient was starting a chemotherapy regime to prepare their body to receive my stem cells. The British Bone Marrow Registry team told me that the patient would receive the stem cell transplant within 72 hours of it leaving my body.”
Afterwards
“The whole process has been incredible. I feel honoured and incredibly proud to have been able to donate stem cells to give someone the possibility of another chance at life. The Bone Marrow Registry team were fantastic and really looked after me in such a challenging time. The Apheresis Unit at the London Clinic was exceptional, giving me great care for the procedure.
“As a nurse I am all too aware of how vital blood and organ donations are. I have administered many blood products to patients, and previously worked on a Paediatric Transplant Unit for many years. I have witnessed first-hand the life changing and lifesaving impact which happens when one person decides to donate a part of themselves.
How you can help
I trust that my stem cells arrived safely and hope that the transplant successfully treats the patient. By sharing my story I hope colleagues will be encouraged to donate blood, sign up to the British Bone Marrow Registry, share your wishes regarding organ donation or if you have recently recovered from Covid-19 consider donating plasma to help others’ recovery.
Donated plasma will be transfused to patients being treated for Covid-19 and the antibodies present may support the patient’s immune response to recover from the virus.
