A DAD has met the angelic stranger who saved his life in a bone marrow transplant – and his name is HEAVEN.
Great-grandad Robert Morgan, 67, was matched with Tom Heaven after being told that was his only chance of beating cancer.
A great-grandad has finally met the man who saved his life – after getting a bone marrow match four years ago
Tom, 30, had offered his bone marrow for transplant in the hope of helping anyone who needed it.
Robert wanted to thank Tom in person, but due to donation rules and then lockdown their meeting had been delayed.
The pair finally had an emotional meeting organised by the Welsh Blood Service almost three years after the operation.
Robert said: “I didn’t have a clue what to say. My first thoughts were ‘should I shake his hand, or should I hug and kiss him?’
“If it wasn’t for Tom I wouldn’t be here. I would have missed out on so much, including meeting my great-granddaughter.
“Let’s hope we’re friends forever. He’ll have to come to the house and meet my family.”
Tom, of Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, said: “To hear Robert’s side of the story, knowing that I’ve helped save someone’s life and knowing they can obviously spend more time with their family, is a really, really good thing.”
Robert, of Aberbargoed, Caerphilly, had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome and the condition hit him hard.
He said: “It was a shock to hear the big word. The ‘Big C’. I went downhill quickly, became tired and struggled to work.
“Without that donor, without Tom, I wouldn’t be standing here now.
“It is so difficult to describe the thought of ‘I have a chance’.”
Robert encouraged 17-30 year olds to help save lives.
He said: “Please consider joining the registry if you can. It really can save someone’s life.”
