Sister takes on Oysho Cardiff Half to raise money for life saving charity
An ALN and inclusion practitioner from Swansea took part in this year’s Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon to raise money for the charity that helped her save her sister’s life.
Olivia Melville-Jones, 28, was running for her 22-year-old sister Charlotte after she donated her bone marrow to her six years ago to raise money for Latch – the charity that helped Charlotte through her life saving treatment.
Olivia said: “Charlotte first became ill in the summer of 2018, she was feeling very fatigued and kept getting colds. Soon after she became jaundice and doctors identified there was something wrong with her liver function. She was transferred from Swansea to the liver specialist unit in Birmingham.
“At first, they weren’t sure why this was happening but further tests – including bloods and a bone marrow biopsy – revealed her red and white blood cells were abnormally low and there was something wrong with her marrow.”
Charlotte was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia, a rare blood disease. Her condition was so severe it meant she needed to have chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Olivia said: “Charlotte was deteriorating quickly. Me, my mum and my dad all got ourselves tested to see if we were a suitable match for Charlotte. We discovered I was a good match for her which was extremely lucky as, although you just assume you would be as blood relatives, there was only a 1 in 4 chance I would be.”
Charlotte was transferred to St Mary’s Hospital in London and needed intense chemotherapy for two weeks ahead of receiving the transplanted bone marrow.
Olivia said: “I had a four-hour operation in January 2019 to retrieve bone marrow from my lower back and spent the next couple of days recovering in hospital. There needed to be the perfect window so charlotte’s body wouldn’t reject it. She was too unwell to have a fresh transplant, so my marrow was frozen until she was stronger.”
That February Charlotte received the transplant via an infusion. She then spent the next three months in hospital in isolation to keep away from infection and reduce the chance of rejection.
Gradually, Charlotte began getting stronger. She was allowed home and her checkups moved from every week for the first year, to three months then to six and finally annually – which she’ll continue with until she’s 25.
Olivia said: “Looking at Charlotte now you’d never know what she’s been through. We were very close anyway, but going through something like this makes your bond even stronger. She’s my best friend.”
She took part in the Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday to raise money for Latch, the Welsh children’s cancer charity and now has her sights set on running the TCS London Marathon to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Olivia said: “Latch helped with the financial costs of Charlotte needing to be in London for treatment and sorted out accommodation for my mum, they also helped with family counselling sessions. The helped set Charlotte up with the Little Princess Trust when she lost her hair through chemo too.”
She added: “It’s so easy to test to see if you can be a bone marrow donor – all you need to do is swab the inside of your cheek. You can get a kit sent to you from Anthony Nolan and they then save your details and let you know if you’re a match for someone. We were really lucky that I was a match for Charlotte, but not everyone is as fortunate as us. It’s so easy to test and you can save someone’s life.”
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers Run 4 Wales, added: “Olivia has done such an incredible thing for her sister and it was brilliant to see her at this year’s Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon. We’re so pleased to hear Charlotte is now doing well and I’m sure she couldn’t be prouder of her sister’s fundraising efforts.”
