More than 450 people attended an organised swab day to see if they were a suitable stem cell match for a 24-year-old man with leukaemia.
Ben Collins, from St Albans, found out on Christmas Day he had T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia ."It was just incredible. I really didn't expect this," said his mother Katrina Collins.Mr Collins has received months of treatment at Milton Keynes Hospital Ms Collins said her son, who now lives in nearby Hemel Hempstead, had been "struggling" recently as a German donor had been found - but the arrangement fell through."You just feel so much warmth from the community," she added.
"I didn't realise that everyone would take this on board and go with it, it's just so heart-warming - it's amazing."Katrina Collins was left astounded by how many people volunteered to have a swab taken at the event"We need lots and lots more people on the register," she said.Alex Russell, 18, said he wanted to have his swab taken as there had been a history of cancer in his family and he said it was "super easy, like a Covid test".
"I told all my kids they had to come and do it, as if we were in the same boat, we would hope other people would do the same."Kickboxer Billy Murray reveals cancer diagnosisOut-of-action hospital lifts lead to cancellations