FROM donating bone marrow cells to her seriously ill older sister Caoimhe to doing her GCSE exams it's already been quite a year for 16-year-old Belfast girl Aine Wills. And next month she will take to the seas as one of the local trainees selected to travel on The Tall Ships Race from Belfast to Norway.
The Aquinas Grammar pupil is looking forward to this chance of a lifetime and is even more delighted her sister is feeling well again to enjoy The Tall Ship festival, when more than 50 sailing vessels will dock in Belfast from July 2-5 and wave her off on her adventure.
Caoimhe (18) relapsed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in September 2014 after being originally diagnosed in 2009 when she was just 12. Because it was a relapse the treatment was a bone-marrow transplant. Ideally bone marrow stem cells are best donated form a close family member, and luckily Aine was a match.
"I wanted to help my sister and was quite relaxed about the procedure. Everyone seemed to be more worried about it than I was," says Aine who was required to fast and then spend a night in hospital following the donation in January. "They took bone marrow out of my lower back and I had to wear these tight leg compressors which was just frustrating as I couldn't move about or even reach the light switch. I've still got a scar where the two needle holes in my lower back went, but I'm proud of it.
Although her back was stiff for a few weeks following the procedure, Aine says the donation was "relatively straightforward" and would recommend others become donors as only around one in three people have a close relative with a matching tissue type and therefore rely upon a donation from the bone marrow register.
"Your not putting yourself under any danger and it doesn't really take that much out of you and you're giving someone else a really good chance of turning their life around."
Donated bone marrow cells help treat leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and certain genetic blood and immune system disorders. Although Aine donated bone marrow from her pelvis to treat her sisters specific condition, nearly 90 per cent of people give their stem cells through peripheral blood stem cell collection which is a simple process, similar to donating blood.
Despite feeling weak due to the radiotherapy treatment which followed her donation, Caoimhe is now doing well. And 100 days after the bone marrow transplant, results showed she had a successful 100 per cent transfer.
Aine, who describes herself as "naturally outgoing" and "up for a challenge" is starting to get excited by her forthcoming seaborne adventure, which will see her join 36 other trainees from Europe in Belfast and sailing to Aalesund, Norway.
"What could be more challenging than spending around 10 days on a boat with a bunch of people you don’t know? I have no doubt that there will potentially harsh conditions but I think this will only make the bonds of friendship stronger.
While slightly nervous about climbing up high sails and potential seasickness, she is also concerned about doing without a wifi connection for 10 days. "Being away from family will be really hard but I have no doubt that I’ll have lots of fun. I am really grateful that people like me that don’t do sailing or people that don’t have financial support to do sailing have the opportunity to do this."
This will be the third time Belfast has hosted the Tall Ships Race, having previously welcomed the event in 1991 and 2009. More than 500,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event which will feature music, street, theatre, nautical fun, tours and fireworks.
As a 10-year-old Aine remembers cycling down to see the ships. "I remember looking at the ships as they were absolutely marvellous and I can’t believe that I am actually going to have the opportunity to be on one and to even sail one."
Passionate about helping others and adventure, Aine is already planning her next challenge – trekking the Canadian Rockies as part of an expedition to raise money for Marie Curie cancer care.
:: You can find out more about the festival at tallshipsbelfast.com. You can also keep up to date with news at facebook.com/tallshipsbelfast and twitter.com/tallships2015.
:: You can join the bone marrow registry at anthonynolan.org or nhsbt.nhs.uk/bonemarrow.
