When David Andrew from Southgate was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma around 2013, his teenage son Joshua donated bone marrow and helped save his life.
The chemotherapy that beat the cancer slowly destroyed David’s kidneys. Then he broke his neck in a cycling accident too, just for good measure.
Joshua was travelling in Australia when his family called. He flew home immediately.
Because of the earlier bone marrow donation, they shared matching immune systems. Joshua was a perfect kidney match too. The transplant took place at the Royal Free Hospital in January 2025.
When asked why he did it: “The main thing was that I knew I wanted to help my dad.”
His donor coordinator: “He is only 23 and he has saved his dad not once, but twice.”
