We are The Christie magazine - Edition 6

John Blackston When John Blackston’s leukaemia came back, the person who helped save his life was 3,000 miles away.

John, 46, was first diagnosed with mixed phenotype acute leukaemia in November 2022 after collapsing at home. He was rushed to hospital, where blood tests showed he was critically unwell. He also had sepsis. “My daughter found me at the top of the stairs and my wife rushed me to hospital,” John said. “They did some blood tests and told me I was only a couple of days away from not being here.” Mixed phenotype acute leukaemia is a rare type of blood cancer. After several rounds of chemotherapy, John had a stem cell transplant at The Christie in April 2023, using donor cells from a 21-year-old in Israel who was a perfect match. The transplant was successful and he returned home the following month. But in July 2025, while out on a run, John began to feel unusually breathless. A blood test confirmed the leukaemia had returned. “I’d been doing a ten-mile run and just felt unusually out of breath. A few days later, The Christie rang me to say the leukaemia was back.” John immediately called his younger brother David, 42, who lives in New York. There is around a one in four chance of a sibling being a suitable donor, and

David had already been identified as a match. He had not been able to donate the first time because of anaemia, but had worked to improve his health in case another opportunity came. When the call came, he flew thousands of miles to Manchester to donate. The night before the transplant, the brothers spent the evening together sharing a pizza in John’s room. The next day, David’s stem cells were collected during a six hour procedure, before being given to John. “When I saw the stem cells coming out in the bag, and then the day after watched them give them to John, I didn’t really know how to react,” David said. “It was like an out of body experience.” John is now recovering well. His latest results show that 99.5 per cent of the cells in his blood are from his brother’s donation. He has started running again, is doing boxing classes and says the experience has changed the way he looks at life. “It’s strange how things come full circle. If I can help raise awareness or support research into this rare leukaemia, that’s something I’d really like to do. I’m feeling good and getting back to normal. I know how lucky I am.” he said.

"Obviously we’re close anyway, but when your brother is about to save your life, it’s a different type of bond."

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