By Lauren Beavis via SWNS A cancer survivor set up a surprise meet - with the stem cell donor who saved her life. Alison Belsham, 57, and donor Rachel Rees, 31, met for the first time in a heartwarming moment caught on camera. Rachel flew home from Australia expecting to visit friends and loved ones in her hometown of Llanelli, Wales.
But unknown to her, Rachel’s family and her stem cell recipient Alison arranged a surprise get-together for the pair to meet. The two were "matched" after an urgent worldwide search took place in 2017 after Alison from Newport in Wales was diagnosed with leukaemia for a second time. The transplant Alison received used Rachel’s healthy donor stem cells to replace her own cancer-causing cells.
Since then Alison has been cancer-free. Alison and Rachel are hoping their story will encourage more people to sign up with the Welsh Blood Service and help in the fight against blood cancer. Speaking of her illness, Alison said: “My initial treatment involved five rounds of chemotherapy, which appeared to be successful.
"After a year and a half in remission however, I had a phone call to say that my cancer had returned. ''The news was absolutely devastating for me and my family as the future, once again, became uncertain. “My doctor explained to me how important it now was to find a donor because a stem cell transplant was the last hope of saving my life.
” Despite over 40 million stem cell volunteers across the world, three in 10 patients will not.