A SELFLESS bone marrow donor came face-to-face for the first time on Saturday with the cancer patient whose life he saved.
Matt Hall (43) (pictured left) from Squires Drove, Three Holes, donated his bone marrow to help leukaemia patient Olly Rofix (24) overcome his illness in March 2006.
He had been on the Anthony Nolan Trust's register of donors since 1995 and was de
lighted when he was told he was a match for desperately ill Olly.
Matt, who owns his own carpentry business and is also caretaker at Beaupre School, Outwell, said: "When I knew I could actually help someone there was no way I was going to say no."
He had always been curious about Olly and was looking forward to Saturday's meeting.
The Trust has a policy that a patient and donor cannot meet for at least two years after the transplant - and then only if the patient initiates the correspondence.
Matt and Olly have written to each since the anonymity was lifted in March 2008.
But Olly has waited until now to meet Matt because he wanted it to coincide with him being well enough to plan a fundraising boat ride around Britain for the Anthony Nolan Trust.
Olly, who lives in Suffolk, was only the third person in the world to be diagnosed with a rare type of leukaemia - he was 20 at the time.
Matt was accompanied by his wife Karen and daughter Ellie (11) to meet Olly at the Suffolk Yacht Harbour.
He said: "The transplant didn't hurt and the only feeling it left me with was being happy to have helped somebody. I'd strongly recommend signing up and wish more people would."
