Adelaide's Anthony Nolan and mother Shirley's legacy helps blood cancer patients by thousands worldwide
Anthony Nolan and his mother Shirley, who went from Adelaide to found the world's first bone marrow transplant register in the United Kingdom in 1974. The register became a charity, eventually becoming known simply an Anthony Nolan, helping thousands receive life-saving transplants.
Adelaide’s Anthony Nolan and his mother Shirley left a legacy of hope and hope and a second chance of life to thousands of blood cancer and blood disorder patients around the world.
Anthony Nolan was born in 1971 and suffered a brain haemorrhage, and given little chance of survival. By the time he was allowed home, after eight months, Wiscott-Aldrich a bone marrow disease had been diagnosed. The only cure was a bone marrow transplant but none of his family was a match. Anthony’s mother Shirley, having learned it’s possible for a non family member to be a suitable donor, took Anthony to England to seek possible treatment.
In England, Shirley Nolan founded the first bone marrow transplant register in 1974. Anthony had deteriorated and returned to Adelaide to avoid the British winter as his immune system was almost non existent. Anthony spent time in Estcourt House on Adelaide’s coast isolated as best as possible from any chance of infection. He later returned to the United Kingdom waiting for the match that never came. He died aged eight in 1979.
The bone marrow transplant register founded by Shirley Nolan became world famous as a United Kingdom charity that eventually became known simply as Anthony Nolan and specialised in leukaemia and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It would go on to help more than 22,000 people receive a lifesaving transplant. Before it, finding an unrelated stem cell donor was virtually impossible.
The Anthony Nolan charity in 1988 became a founding member of Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide, connecting patients and lifesaving donors all around the world. An Anthony Nolan Research Institute began in 1993, driving ground-breaking research to reduce post-transplant complications and improve qualitv of life after transplant.
In 2000, peripheral blood stem cell collection started to be used regularly for lifesaving treatment – a quicker, easier, and less painful method than collecting bone marrow. To mark this step forward, in 2001, the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust changed its name to the Anthony Nolan Trust. The Anthony Nolan Trust in 2008 set up the UK's first dedicated cord blood bank, enabling 62,000 new mothers to follow in Shirley Nolan's lifesaving footsteps, by donating their umbilical cords for transplant and research.
In 2010, joining the stem cell register became easier with potential donors able to give saliva samples instead of blood. That year The Anthony Nolan Trust becomes known as Anthony Nolan and, in 2020, saw the 800,00th person joins the stem cell register.
Shirley Nolan committed suicide in 2002 aged 60 due to Parkinsons disease and the fear of losing control over her own demise.
