Hundreds queue in bid to give vicar’s wife the gift of life

HUNDREDS passed through the doors of a Clerkenwell church on Wednesday to see if they could help the vicar’s wife by donating bone marrow.
Rachel Baughen has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia but not one of the 13 million people on the worldwide register of potential donors has proved to be a viable match.
Saliva swab testing took place at the church to see if anybody locally could help in the one-in-a-million search.
Due to the high numbers who turned up, The Anthony Nolan Trust – which set up stall in the church – had to keep the doors open for nearly four hours longer than planned.
Church manager Ms Baughen, 47, who lives in Clerkenwell with husband Andrew and daughters Harriet and Charlotte, was diagnosed with the disease two years ago.
But conventional drugs had a toxic effect and she has been given four years to live if she doesn’t take any more.
The idea for the mass screening came from a couple of parishioners.
Mrs Baughen said: “Lots of people I recognised as friends turned up but random people came as well. There was one guy who had an email from a friend in Moscow who had seen the story on the internet.
“My 18-year-old was tested. For the past six months I’ve been quite well because we’ve been cutting back on the drugs but that’s a precarious situation because we don’t know if it will hold.”
Presently, 16,000 people are searching for bone marrow transplants but only 800 have found matches.
Mrs Baughen said: “I used to be a really energetic, do everything kind of person. Now I have to be careful.
“As a family we come together. The future isn’t certain but we’re in this situation and we can either be bitter and twisted or see this as an opportunity. Our Christian faith has helped keep it all together.
“We can’t take anything for granted so we make the most of life and its opportunities. The prognosis is uncertain.”
Her husband, the Rev Andrew Baughen, said the response to the appeal was “amazing”, adding: “This is about life and death for Rachel. It’s very personal.
“It’s about someone people know, with a family, and someone who will not live unless she finds a match.
“It was amazing to see the variety of people coming along and that’s what church is all about. What I didn’t expect was the friends of friends and people who just heard about it to come.”
He added: “It’s a big thing to do. Taking a swab is simple thing but it means you’re on the register.
“Rachel is incredibly capable and an amazing bundle of energy. Our theme at the church is hope and as a Christian having that hope of life after death makes a difference.”

• If you want to be ­tested or apply for a home-testing kit, visit www.anthonynolan.org.uk
ROISIN GADELRAB