Potential stem cell match found for young father
A potential donor match has been identified for Murray Foltyn, the 41-year-old Sydney father who is battling a rare blood cancer
A potential donor match has been identified for Murray Foltyn, the 41-year-old Sydney father who is battling a rare blood cancer.
“It is the injection of hope and the morale booster that we have all been so desperate for,” wife Claudia Milunsky wrote on social media on Wednesday morning.
“We are, however, cautiously optimistic. The situation is complex, and there are still tests that the identified match has to undergo before they’re given the green light.
“So, until those stem cells are in Murray’s body, we need to keep going.”
Since the search for a match was made public in February, thousands have mobilised in Australia and worldwide to get tested. Testing sessions have been held in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Two thousand people recently attended a testing event in North London, the UK Jewish Telegraph reported.
“The world is behind this. The momentum is there. We can keep swabbing and keep spreading the word until we have certainty,” Milunsky said.
“We can’t thank each and every one of you enough for everything you have all done and will continue to do.”
She added that the “huge silver lining” to the past six weeks was that “it’s incredible to know that the chance of any Jewish person needing a donor and finding their match has now grown exponentially”.
“Thousands upon thousands of people have come forward for testing! This is now a global mission that needs to continue on for the wider community here and around the world,” she said.
“It’s a long and daunting road ahead for Murray and our family, but we will get there with all of the support we have behind us.”
More info: lifeblood.com.au
Around the world – A match in another country is just as good as a match in Australia, so please get tested and pass the links on:
United States: giftoflife.org/swab, my.bethematch.org/s/join
United Kingdom: dkms.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-donor
Israel: ami.org.il
South Africa: sabmr.co.za
Slovakia: swabtheworld.com/en/country/slovak-republic
Russia: swabtheworld.com/en/country/russia
Everywhere else: swabtheworld.com/en/become-a-donor
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