Katie Matthews 32, from Lincoln is calling on eligible people to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register after being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer and told that, without a transplant, she has six years to live.
Beauty therapist Katie was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer, after abnormalities were found in the ultrasound scan that revealed she was having twins.
Katie said: “We did an ultrasound and were told your twins are fine, but your spleen is about 25 centimetres’. Me and my husband thought, ‘what do you mean twins?!’”
Katie and her husband Tommy, 37 a dry liner, were shocked and delighted to hear they were expecting twins, but this happy surprise was overshadowed when the scan revealed her enlarged spleen and a blood clot in her portal vein, both of which are potentially life-threatening if left untreated.
Katie had a bone marrow biopsy which led to the devastating diagnosis of myelofibrosis: a type of blood cancer where the bone marrow produces excessive fibrous tissue, preventing blood cell production.
In October 2024, Katie, who specialises in laser hair removal but had been unable to work since last May, welcomed healthy twins Bella-Rose and Lennon and the mum of three began oral chemotherapy in January 2025.
Katie’s brother was tested to see if he could donate his stem cells to her, but it was recently confirmed that unfortunately he is not a match. So, the family hope that a stem cell donor will be found on the register.
Katie said, “The stem cell transplant is the only cure for my cancer. It will give me more time, a whole new whole new life basically. Without a transplant I've been roughly given about six years.”
The family are working with stem cell transplant charity Anthony Nolan who are searching worldwide registers to see if there is a match for Katie.
“Being a mother and being pregnant while being diagnosed with blood cancer is the worst thing that you could hear,” she said.
After never having heard of myelofibrosis, Katie’s life has now been turned upside down by the disease, but she is keen to help others in her situation and to raise awareness of the stem cell register.
Katie and her family are big fans of Liverpool FC and are planning to attend the victory parade in Anthony Nolan t-shirts to raise awareness of the charity and the work they do.
Katie said: “You could save somebody like me. I want to be able to live the rest of my life and have more time with my children.
“I’m going to stay strong and positive, and I also want to help as many people as possible.
“I’m not prepared to die now and I’m not going to.”
Rowena Bentley, Head of Programme and Community Recruitment at Anthony Nolan, said: “It’s thanks to patients like Katie sharing their story that we can raise vital awareness of stem cell donation and encourage more people to join the register and save lives.
“We know that younger stem cell donors give patients the best chance of survival. That’s why we’re calling on healthy 16–30-year-olds to join the register - to give patients like Katie more time with those they love.”
Sign up online: Anthonynolan.org/MatchforKatie
People who are unable to join the Anthony Nolan register, or are aged 31 and over, can support the charity’s work financially. It costs Anthony Nolan £40 to add each new potential lifesaver to the register which covers recruiting a donor, collecting their sample, and analysing it to find out their tissue type.
In addition to growing and managing the world’s first stem cell register Anthony Nolan also carries out innovative research and provides information and support to stem cell transplant patients and their families.