A charity champion from Newton Aycliffe who’s undergoing chemotherapy is urging people to sign up to the bone marrow register. Maths teacher Paul McGeary was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia (APML), earlier this year, having been in remission from an initial diagnosis back in November 2014. The Freeman Hospital is currently conducting a global search to find a match for the 34-year-old to improve his chances of a full recovery, while he continues chemotherapy treatment at James Cook hospital. Finding the perfect match could take months or years – and may never be found. Sporting a ‘Stand Up To Cancer’ hoody, Paul said: “It’s a massively under-subscribed database and we desperately need more people to register – not just for me, but for the many others out there who need a transplant. “We want to raise awareness of the donor register and dispel some myths that the general public has about being a donor. “I naively assumed a donor had to be one of your nearest kin, and if I couldn’t find a match then unlucky. Since this has happened, I’ve learned a donor could be my next door neighbour, or it could be someone on the other side of the world”. “Many people are put off donating bone marrow thinking it a bone marrow extraction, but that’s not the case – you simply give blood. Whilst it might not be a perfect match for me, they could be a match for someone elsewhere in the world. “If a match is found then the donor gives more blood and that is then farmed by the experts and transplanted into the patient, so it’s not as harrowing a process as people think. During his ordeal, Paul’s rock has been his wife, 33-year-old Becky who, like her husband, puts on a brave face. “Every now and then those dark thoughts do creep in – that I could be a widow and Niamh could be fatherless,” she says. “The whole process has completely changed our life. We just take it day to day. We can’t look too far ahead, and it is hard to be a wife and a mother when you don’t have plans for the future. After being diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago, Paul and Becky embarked on a fundraising campaign, dubbed “Not One Inch”, which has hit a new milestone with Paul’s fundraising has reached £23,000. Paul McGeary, wife Becky & their 3 yr old daughter Niamh Paul added: “We’re trying to lead a normal life as much as we can, and the fundraising has given us something to focus on – to raise awareness and cash for research into this disease.“It takes our minds off things, but also serves as a reminder as to why we’re doing it.” The majority of people between the ages of 16-55 can find further information and sign up to various registers at www.anthonynolan.org and www.dkms.org.uk/en