Craig, better known as Woody, started feeling unwell after a trip to Chicago for his wife’s birthday. He thought he had caught the flu but booked a doctor’s appointment when his symptoms didn’t improve.
“I was on my way to a surprise spa trip with my best friend as part of my birthday celebrations when he called me. He was adamant I still had to go and said, ‘I’ll be back in a bit.’ But he wasn’t,” his wife Donna said.
That appointment was just the start of a journey that would change both their lives.
Woody was initially sent to Bassetlaw Hospital before being transferred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary and then Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire. In May 2016, he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia and told he had four months to live.
“We were just in shock. We knew he was poorly, but you just keep going and going until suddenly you get this diagnosis. The first thing he said to me was, ‘it’s alright because I’m going to beat this.’ We just had to keep believing that.”
Woody needed a bone marrow transplant. While the transplant team worked with Anthony Nolan to find a match, Woody underwent intensive chemotherapy and spent weeks in hospital. Anthony Nolan is a stem cell register who help by making lifesaving connections between patients and incredible strangers, ready to donate their stem cells.
Then came the news they had been hoping for. A donor match had been found.
“It didn’t feel real. Everything moved so quickly from the ‘we might have a match’ conversation to the pre-treatment and then suddenly it was the day. It was only when they said ‘there is a box here with the bone marrow in’ that it felt real,” said Donna.
On the 15th September 2016, Woody received his life-saving bone marrow transplant at the Royal Hallamshire. His recovery wasn’t without its challenges, including an infection and a stay in intensive care, but eventually he was given the news he and his family had been waiting for.
The transplant had been a success.
For three years, Woody and Donna knew very little about the person who had given him that chance at life. The donor had to remain anonymous.
“It was hard because I was like an excitable puppy. I felt ridiculous! I just wanted to say thank you, but you don’t send a nice card and a box of chocolates to someone who saved your husband’s life!”
For the first two years, all communication between the donor and the patient has to be anonymous and they can choose not to respond. During this time, Woody and Donna were sent an anonymous card from the family which they’ve still got at home.
Then in October 2019, they received an email that would change their lives again. They discovered the stem cell donor was a man called Carsten, who lived in Germany and had registered to donate over 20 years ago. The families began messaging each other, sharing photos and life stories, and quickly became close. Covid delayed their plans until October 2022.
Woody said, “The 1st October 2022 is a day we will never forget. My wife & I flew to Germany to finally meet Carsten. We can honestly say it was one of the best times of our lives.”
Donna added, “I just wanted to squeeze them and give him the biggest hug. Obviously, we went through the trauma of Woody having Leukaemia and there were some hairy moments, but to come out the other side and then being united with the man that ultimately saved his life. It is just indescribable.
“Every single year on the anniversary now, I message Carsten to say thank you. Whenever we see him, we cheers to our hero, and it sets him off in tears every time! No thank you will ever be enough.”
When Woody was first diagnosed, Donna’s colleagues decided to fundraise for SHC to also say thank you to the team at the Royal Hallamshire who helped save his life. This year, ten years on, they decided to do it all over again.
“Over 60 of my colleagues from DFS, and some four-legged friends, came together to walk 10k around the Longshaw Estate to raise funds for Sheffield Hospitals Charity. We all want to do something for everyone who helped save Woody’s life. The staff at the Hallamshire were incredible and we can never thank them enough.”
Ten years on, Woody is still here to not only celebrate, but join in. All thanks to the family in Germany he never knew he would have, and the incredible team at the Royal Hallamshire in Sheffield.
Donna’s words to anyone this Organ Donation Week are, “please don’t hesitate to sign up if you can. You can change a person’s life forever.”
Two families, brought together by one life-saving gift. Sign up to be a donor today.
Published: Wednesday 23rd of September 2026