An act of quiet generosity became a life-saving connection that crossed continents.
Welsh Ambulance Service emergency ambulance practitioner Andrew Harris, from Wrexham, donated bone marrow and stem cells to help save the life of a woman in the United States.
Now 55, Mr Harris first joined the bone marrow register 11 years ago after spotting a leaflet while giving blood at his local blood bank.
He said: "To be honest, I hadn’t really given it much thought as it had been a couple of years since I had done the initial testing.
"Then, out of the blue, I got a letter saying that I had been matched to a potential recipient.
"I was told that I was one of three potential donors and after further testing, it was confirmed that I was the best match."
The donation process involved extracting bone marrow and stem cells from his hips.
He said: "The procedure wasn’t as bad as I was expecting but don’t get me wrong, it was not what you would call comfortable and for a few days afterwards, I was in quite a lot of discomfort."
Due to anonymity rules, Mr Harris was unable to learn the recipient’s identity for three years.
When the waiting period ended, he was contacted by Alecia Bone, a woman from Kansas who had been diagnosed with leukaemia at 32 and was given little hope of recovery without a transplant.
The two have since formed a close friendship, speaking regularly by phone.
Ms Bone has made a full recovery and now works at the hospital where she was treated, advising cancer patients based on her own experience.
In an unexpected turn, Mr Harris was later diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma.
He said: "It was totally unexpected, I thought I was suffering from symptoms of dehydration and maybe gallstones but after being referred for a CT scan by my GP, I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (Cancer of the kidney).
"I was shocked by the diagnosis and was told that I would have to have my right kidney and adrenal gland removed.
"However, as bad as all that sounded, the doctors assured me that the cancer had been found at a relatively early stage and did not appear to have spread."
Following surgery and recovery, he returned to work with the Welsh Ambulance Service.
Emma Wood, chief executive officer at the Welsh Ambulance Service, praised his actions.
She said: "Andrew has shown tremendous courage and selflessness.
"Having people like him in the organisation, that embody such values and qualities is something really special."
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