TWO brothers from Newton Aycliffe have raised over £3,500 for a blood cancer charity.
Trevor and Jeff Tinkler endured the Great North Swim, at Lake Windermere in the Lake District and saw them swim two miles to raise money for the Anthony Nolan Trust.
It is a charity close to the heart of Trevor who donated his bone marrow a few years ago and saved the life of a man who lives in the south of England. That man – Mike – was on the shores of Windermere during the event, cheering on the brothers.
Although donors of bone marrow aren’t allowed to know any details of the recipient, that doesn’t stop the latter from enquiring about the donor. This is what Mike did and eventually the two families met and have become firm friends.
Trevor has two adult sons and Mike, two young daughters. Trevor is very modest about what he has done but Jeff, who regularly organises charity events for various good causes, including local hospices, is very proud of his brother and wanted to help him raise money for the charity. Jeff’s workmates at 3M in the town are always supportive, sponsoring him and this charity event was no different with them, handing over hundreds of pounds.
The brothers’ mother, Freda Tinkler of Gilpin Road in the town, is proud of them both. “Mike is alive because of Trevor’s bravery because donating bone marrow isn’t a comfortable experience,” she said. “And now they are good friends and between them help raise money so more people with blood cancer can survive.”
In 1971, Anthony Nolan was born with a rare condition called Wiskott Aldrich. The only known cure was a bone marrow transplant, but there was no process or system to find a matching donor but in 1973 the first successful bone marrow transplant between unrelated donors was carried out.
Previously, matches had only been made through relatives. His mother Shirley had a vision: to start a bone marrow register that would connect potential donors with people like her son, who desperately needed a transplant. At present, over 3,000 blood stem cell (which is found in bone marrow) transplants take place every year. It all began with this legacy that saved and continues to save thousands of lives because the following year, the bone marrow register was founded. It was this register that Trevor Tinkler added his name and was called upon to donate.
He didn’t hesitate and journeyed to London where the bone marrow was extracted in a hospital over several hours.
If you would like to help the charity, visit the website at www.anthonynolan.org
