Stephen Cutts, 53, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2023, underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. He was emotionally reunited with his donor, 24-year-old Kevin McNicholl, at a surprise anniversary gathering after they had communicated anonymously and by phone. McNicholl, who joined the Anthony Nolan register at 17, urges others to sign up. Anthony Nolan stresses the need to recruit more under-30s, who provide most donations but are underrepresented on the register.
Emotional Reunion: Cancer Survivor Surprised by Young Stem Cell Donor
Stephen Cutts (left) with Kevin McNicholl, whose stem cell donation saved his life [Supplied]
A Sheffield man whose life was saved by a stem cell transplant became emotional when he met his donor for the first time at a surprise anniversary gathering.
Stephen Cutts, 53, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2023. His treatment included seven rounds of chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor. Earlier this month, Cutts thought he was attending a wedding anniversary party; his wife had secretly invited the donor, 24-year-old Kevin McNicholl, to the event.
After the transplant proved successful, Cutts and the donor exchanged messages initially through anonymous channels and later spoke by phone. Cutts said he recognized McNicholl the moment he arrived. "I knew it was him," he recalled. "I hugged him — we all did. There were plenty of tears."
Cutts, a retired surgical instrument maker, described McNicholl as "the nicest person I've ever met." He added: "To go through what he did for nothing, and for someone he didn't know, was incredible. He will always be part of our lives."
McNicholl, a software engineer from Belfast, was 21 when he learned his stem cells were a match. "When I found out I was a match, my instant reaction was I wanted to do it," he said. He often thought about the recipient after the transplant and said meeting Stephen was "an incredible feeling." "He's one of the strongest people I've ever met," McNicholl added.
McNicholl signed up to the Anthony Nolan register at 17 after a recruitment drive at his local Gaelic football club in Magherafelt, County Londonderry. He now encourages clubs and organisations to keep running donor drives. "You never know if your name will come up and, if it does, you have the chance to save someone's life," he said.
Charlotte Cunliffe, director of register development at Anthony Nolan, emphasised the importance of recruiting younger donors. "People under 30 provide three-quarters of stem cell donations for UK patients, yet they represent just 40% of our register," she said. "That gap means we must continue recruiting young people so we can keep saving lives through stem cell donation."
This reunion highlights both the profound human impact of stem cell donation and the ongoing need for donor recruitment, particularly among younger potential donors.
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