Please help if you can

[gupta]

Some posters may know Tim Blatch. He is a former AOPA Australia CEO, Australian Ultralight Federation Exec Director, Airport Manager Ayers Rock, FAC Ops Manager Alice Springs and SA/NT Airport Inspector with the Dept of Aviation. (Just to jog a few memories)

He now needs the help of the aviation community. After 5 months of extensive chemotherapy to combat Acute Myeloid Leukeamia, and 5 months of learning to walk again, Tim is now in a pre-leukeamic state (temporary remission) and his specialist has recommended that he go on the register to seek a bone marrow donor. Without the transplant, the specialist has given him two years to live – give or take a year or two.

So, please tell all your friends/family/acquaintances here and overseas that if they currently give blood, next time they are donating, please just mention that they want to go on the Bone Marrow Donor register – it is as simple as that. AND they do NOT have to give bone marrow to go on the register AND they do NOT have to give Bone Marrow for the transplant, it is just blood they give and the miracle of medical science changes it into Bone Marrow when transplanted into Tim’s blood stream.

If they don’t currently give blood, they can still go to any Red Cross blood donation unit and be tested for compatibility.
For an information brochure got to:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/pdf/dynamic_pages/3/82514915_donorbrochure_08.pdf (http://www.abmdr.org.au/pdf/dynamic_pages/3/82514915_donorbrochure_08.pdf)
and refer to STEM CELL transplants, or contact the Australian Red Cross on 13 14 95
or go to the Red Cross in any country worldwide.

Please consider a donation.

The words are from Tim's wife Julie. If you know Tim and wish to contact him, he would love to hear from you.
Email [email protected] ([email protected]), or phone 0411 156 123.

Moderators please post this wherever you think most appropriate/effective, and edit if you deem necessary, but please PM if you are going to remove it entirely

Thanks

[Jenna Talia]

Surely this is worth a sticky?

JT

[gupta]

thanks JT - I was hoping, but daren't ask that - up to the community

[Grogmonster]

Gupta thanks for your post. I don't know the man but you have my help. I will register tomorrow. Tell him good luck.

Groggy

[gupta]

Thanks Groggy

[ozaggie]

Me three :ok:

[Desert Flower]

Tim did quite a bit of campaigning on my behalf to try to stop BP from closing down the fuel facility at YLEC. Unfortunately he wasn't successful, but that wasn't his fault. If I was of the age & fitted the criteria necessary to go on the donor register I would, but I'm not. I have a niece who currently in remission from AML - they have found a donor for her but the transplant will not go ahead unless she has a relapse. I wish Tim all the best in overcoming this.

DF.

[Dogimed]

Bounce...

I'm on...

Side note: They can get the Plasma now and even give you back your old blood. So no marrow transplant for you softies...

Get on it..

Dog

[Desert Flower]

The damn mozzies are so bad up here at the moment that they're taking far more of my blood than I'm willing to give!
On a more serious note, I can't believe this hasn't been made into a sticky.

DF.

[Tim Blatch]

I would like to thank everyone for their messages of support, not only those who personally got in touch but also those who respondedin many other ways.

The great news is that I have been notified of a matching donor - now comes the transplant roller coaster.

I'll be thinking of many of you.

Thanks once again

Tim

[Desert Flower]

The great news is that I have been notified of a matching donor - now comes the transplant roller coaster.

Tim, that is wonderful news! You still have a rough ride ahead, but I hope it all goes well. Keeping you in my thoughts,

DF.

P.S. Did "Gupta" get my reply to their PM? I'm not sure if it went through or not as I was having a few computer problems at that time.

[Ejector]

Good news for Tim, just a reminder, you don't need to even give blood to be on the registry, I ask you to think if you needed it how much would you pay to live, Sell your house? I wouldn't hesitate, now people here can save lives for nothing and maybe even have the wonderful pleasure of someone saying, Thanks, can I buy you a beer, who may even be in another country. :ok:

[MR. PROACH]

Tim, I am a former aviator in the US and in Oz. I have just been through the roller coaster, and am only +45 days after transplant, so there is more to come...

But don't think for a second that it won't work. The anticipation was the toughest part. I had that for several years. It has been positive thinking that has been the most important thing throughout, so just like a checkride, be prepared and don't quit flying the plane for anything.

If I can answer any questions please contact me.

There are some extraordinary people involved with Leukemia and Blood Cancers. And for anyone donating blood, bone marrow or other, you will have saved my life many many times over. There are no words. D

[Tim Blatch]

Once again, thanks for all the messages of support.

The latest blood test holds out some hope of reaching remission - another test in 2 months may be more encouraging

[Tim Blatch]

To those that have been following, I was informed yesterday that I can now consider myself to have been in remission for 12 months. Earlier blood counts were apparently inconclusive and possibly open to less favourable interpretation....... Ah well, better than false hope :D

The bone marrow transplant, while remaining an option if relapse occurs, is now not so urgent. It feels like I have walked back form the edge of a very steep cliff.

Huge thanks to all who have been motivated to register - who knows how many lives you are now in a position to save. As Mr Proach said And for anyone donating blood, bone marrow or other, you will have saved my life many many times over. There are no words Too right there are no words - there are just untold and unspoken thanks

Anyone who shows me a blood donor card gets free beer from then on......

Life planning now restarts - and life is damn good right now

Also thanks to Pprune for letting this thread run.....

[MR. PROACH]

Thought this might be of some use:

Sites with all the information you need are here:

Home | Anthony Nolan (http://www.anthonynolan.org)
www.macmillan.org
www.leukemia.org.au

it could be as easy as a SALIVA test to register.

Stem cells are going to fix a lot of things, not just for others. So take a few minutes to make a decision.

[Tim Blatch]

Thanks again to those who put themselves forward for donor consideration.
I saw the transplant specialist today, & he confirmed that my health is now at the stage where a transplant is not the mathematically favoured option - more rejoicing.
He did let slip the knowledge that the greatest difficulty they have with potential donors is that they very often are unavailable due to overseas posting - ie they are ADF & US military - so a big thanks in another way for the contributions from these people - you are always in my thoughts & prayers.