Wife pulls off global campaign for ‘miracle’ life-saving stem cell donor

A Brisbane father battling blood cancer has found a life-saving donor thanks to his wife’s innovative awareness campaign which has gone global​​, gained celebrity support and will help others.

​A Brisbane father battling blood cancer has found a “miracle” life-saving donor – thanks to his wife’s passionate awareness campaign that has gone global​​ with celebrity support.

Liam O’Brien ​had all but given up hope of finding a stem cell match but will now have a transplant likely to cure his leukaemia on March 30.

“I am thrilled and incredibly grateful; it really is a miracle because we didn’t think it would happen,” said Mr O’Brien, 40, who was facing a grim life expectancy of two to five years.

The match was sourced from Europe and is being attributed to the Life Saving List campaign started on Instagram by Mr O’Brien’s wife Josephine.

Since its December launch, the campaign has more than tripled stem cell donor registrations and put Australia’s critically low donor pool on the national and international agenda.

Mrs O’Brien said the result was humbling.

“Within the first 48 hours, the initial post had 20,000 views and people kept sharing – including Home And Away stars Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor, and (former Wallaby and English Harlequin) James Horwill.

“That got people in the UK on board, and Liam has friends who are Super Bowl players in the US and they shared it as well.”

Liam O'Brien and his wife Josephine have been advocating for the State Government to fund testing. Picture: Liam Kidston

Model Kate Waterhouse, TV personality Anna Heinrich, and rugby league great Darren Lockyer also spread the word.

The O’Briens learned of the donor match during a telehealth consultation last week.

“Liam just squeezed my hand very tightly and we both got emotional – there was huge elation but we know the fight isn’t over,” Mrs O’Brien, 37, said.

Mr O’Brien ​​–​ nephew of politician Bob Katter and cousin of Robbie Katter – ​said a transplant had its own risks but he was “keeping positive”.

“The donor is a nine out of 10 match, as good as I can hope for, and has come from a very recent batch of registrants.”

He said the hardest part was managing how much to tell children Robert, 4, and Sophia, 3.

“They understand Dad is very sick, and we have prayed to St Anthony for a special person who can help match with Dad so he gets better.

“We have changed that prayer to thanking St Anthony for sending us that special match.”

Liam O'Brien with wife Josephine and children Robert and Sophia.

Mr O’Brien said his family’s campaign had​ “garnered life-saving promises from state and federal politicians” and they wouldn’t stop until those promises became reality.

“We won’t rest until we make it possible to get the sort of numbers (of registrants) to be a more productive part of the national and global solution to Australia’s bone marrow registry deficit,” he said.

“The underperformance is just horrendous – it gives things like ambulance ramping a (comparatively) good scorecard.”

On February 24, Australian health ministers met in Brisbane and approved the release of $1m in funding to recruit stem cell donors via blood samples and cheek swabs.

“Provisional approval” was given for the release of the remaining $11.8m held in the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry fund, pending clinical advice in April.

But registry CEO Lisa Smith said $1m would make little difference.

“We know that cheek swabs are the most effective way of recruiting stem cell donors. We need the remaining $11.8m urgently to even come close to meeting the nation’s current donor demand,” she said.

The ABMDR has been campaigning for more than 20 years to access the $12.8m blocked by governments. In that time, almost 130,000 Australians have died of blood cancer.

Mr O’Brien said his family’s privately-funded efforts proved what could be achieved in just a few months, adding that three people in Townsville had signed up and already been called on to be donors.

“It shows that a properly funded national campaign can solve this problem, and in a very short period of time.”

Member for Traeger Robbie Katter with cousin Liam O'Brien and his wife Josephine. Picture: Liam Kidston

He said federal health minister Mark Butler and Queensland minister Yvette D’Ath had made “life-saving promises” in person to his family and on the public record.

“Our job is to hold them accountable to release the full funding, while I am in the battle of my life.”

Mrs O’Brien said their campaign, a joint effort with her sister Ruby Hanson and best friend Anna Morris, gave hope to others with blood cancer.

“As soon as we had a donor I said to Liam, ‘we’re not hanging up our boots on this’ … having others not have to wait months and months for a donor match would be huge.”

She said the Life Saving List was a “very positive distraction”.

“We had bad news after bad news, and Liam had long stints in hospital, and there were days when I could have literally got on the floor and not got up, so the campaign was a great benefit on many fronts.”