THE young musician from York who sparked a huge search for a stem cell donor was today celebrating the success of his lifesaving transplant.
Hundreds of people came forward to help Jamie Glover, 21, find a donor and give him a chance to overcome cancer.
Following a transplant, Jamie has now made a good recovery, and is writing an album to inspire others like him fight the killer disease.
When he was 18, Jamie was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, a rare disease affecting white blood cells in the immune system. More than 200 potential donors from York volunteered at one session alone, in March this year, but it was not until May that doctors found a suitable candidate.
The anonymous German donor was identified through the Anthony Nolan Trust, which matches up donors and people in need.
The transplant went well, and Jamie is now putting the finishing touches to an album he hopes will tell about his battle with cancer.
Jamie, of Main Street, Appleton Roebuck, said: "I am pretty much on the road to recovery.
"There can be no definite answer, but I'm as 'all clear' as 'all clear' can be. I have got past the 100-day period, when any complications from the transplant would have occurred.
"The day of the transplant was a very surreal one. The cells were flown from Germany to Manchester, then taken by taxi to Leeds, and put into me - all on the same day.
"There huge sense of relief when the cells had actually gone in - it felt like the fight was back in my own hands. I knew then that it was up to me.
"In the end, everything went as well as could be expected, and I was out of hospital within three weeks.
"All I know about the donor is that he is a 26-year-old male from Stuttgart. The doctors keep it anonymous because I may need cells from him again at some point the future.
"Basically, my life has slowly started to get back to normal. I have been going to the gym, and working on my music again. What I really want to do now is release the album I am writing, called Sugar Coated Bitter Pills. I'll be finishing it off over Christmas.
"When I first started it I was very low, but it's helped me see the experience as a big picture. I've tried to gloss over the bad stuff and emphasise the positives in what I went through."
Jamie hopes to go travelling across America with friends in July next year, before returning to his studies at Leeds College of Music in September.
Updated: 10:10 Friday, November 26, 2004
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article