Mother who needs stem call transplant after 12-year cancer battle issues plea to potential donors
A Northampton mother, who needs a stem cell transplant after a 12-year battle with cancer, is calling on people to sign up to the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry.
56-year-old June Hoey was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2012 and has been through three rounds of chemotherapy.
She now needs a stem cell transplant to replace what has been damaged by the treatment she has undergone so far, and treat the lymphoma.
June’s story is being shared to highlight that the British Bone Marrow Registry has changed its name to the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry.
This reflects that most transplants now come from stem cells circulating in the blood rather than the bone marrow – and is aimed at encouraging more to register, to help people like June.
June received her diagnosis after finding a lump under her armpit just as her daughter Lucy, now 23, was about to start secondary school.
“I brushed it off at first,” said June. “Until I had an appointment at the hospital and saw women waiting who had lost their hair. It hit much harder then.”
June received regular check ups while on a ‘watch and wait’ programme for the first five years, and made the decision not to tell her daughter about her diagnosis until 2017. This was when June noticed lumps on her neck and started a six-month course of chemotherapy.
Another five years later, just before Christmas 2022, June went to A&E at Northampton General Hospital after becoming breathless and weak over the course of two weeks.
“I didn’t think it was the cancer,” said June, who started her second round of chemotherapy just weeks later.
Six months on, the cancer returned for a third time and June started her third lot of chemotherapy in July 2024. The 56-year-old was also told to expect a stem cell transplant later in the year.
June said: “Having blood transfusions and chemotherapy every week is gruelling, but I hope that by undergoing that and the stem cell transplant, I’ll be able to get back to my normal life. I cannot wait to get back to my allotment, play golf and walk my dogs.
“The first step towards being well again is to find that stem cell donor, and I really hope there is a match waiting on the register for me.”
The 56-year-old reiterated that the more people who sign up, the more chance that patients like her will be able to get treatment and live their lives with loved ones.
“Please, if you are eligible, think about registering to donate your stem cells,” said June. “You can save somebody’s life.”
Lucy says it has been “really hard” seeing her mum poorly and undergoing treatment – which has meant they have had to put many plans on hold.
“I’m really hoping there’s a match for her to have the stem cell transplant and that will allow us to enjoy life as mother and daughter again,” said Lucy. “I’ll be eternally grateful to whoever donates the cells she will eventually receive.”