StemCell Therapy

A Croydon dad who achieved fame as a bailiff on a TV show has been handed a "death sentence" unless a donor can be found to rescue him from terminal blood cancer.

Delroy Anglin is "Croydon born and bred" and found unexpected fame for his work as a bailiff on Channel 5's Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away!

Now the 56-year-old has been stricken by an aggressive form of leukaemia which ravages the blood and bones of its sufferers.

READ MORE: Charity seeking to save life of Croydon TV star tell well-wishers - 'you can save him'

The dad-of-six was confined to a hospital bed while undergoing punishing chemotherapy.

But the searing treatment can only battle the cancer for so long.

Delroy desperately needs a bone marrow transplant in order to beat the debilitating disease.

It is hard to find a matching donor because of his minority background, and he has suffered for months since first hearing the news of his illness.

"You feel as if someone has pronounced a death sentence," said Delroy, from Croydon Old Town.

READ MORE: This 8-year-old Croydon schoolboy is a musical genius despite being deaf

"Life changed in an instant. When they tell you, you're just hoping someone has made a mistake, but they haven't.

"At the end of the day, unless somebody says differently - I'm terminal."

His condition was first discovered after he requested a check-up because he had been catching more colds than he usually would.

A blood test revealed what was really affecting his usually robust health.

READ MORE: Missing People Choir on Britain's Got Talent: Who is missing Crystal Palace fan Lee Boxell?

AML affects the stem cells in bone marrow, causing a huge amount of white blood cells to be produced. Less than half of patients can be cured of the rare disease, which causes a dangerous reduction in the number of red blood cells in the body.

"I think I was in denial because I felt so fine," said Delroy, who has been forced to quit his on-screen work.

"Life changed straight away, from diagnosis to entering the hospital was a matter of days.

"Your life just changes instantly. Everything is chaotic and it remains like that for while."

Delroy, now a grandfather, is continuing to battle the disease, which developed with shocking speed, alongside his family.

His children have rallied to support him, and although his 82-year-old mum worries, her home cooking gives him strength.

"You don't want to worry your mum," said Delroy, who is now being treated at the Royal Marsden in Sutton.

"She does worry. She comes from a generation where leukaemia was a death sentence.

"But you get the home cooking from her and build up your strength it's funny how it never changes.

"You don't know how your kids are going to react. Some react well, some become aware of their own mortality a bit, and hate going to hospitals.

"But my family have reacted so well, and I think that's because they've seen my reaction. They've been absolutely amazing."

The expert bailiff, filmed alongside colleagues for the popular Channel 5 series, is facing the fight with calm determination.

His treatment has been gruelling, but he hopes there may be hope of victory over AML, although only a transplant will guarantee he beats the cancer which claimed his own brother's life 40 years ago.

He said: "For all intents and purposes I'm a pretty young bloke, you know, this is not supposed to happen. It just seems unreal.

"Chemotherapy is tough. The first time I had it I was in a wheelchair after. I looked in the mirror and didn't even recognise myself, I was so weak and frail.

"The next time I forced myself to take a few steps, and not let it do that to me again. Now I'm feeling positive about it. But it won't go away.

READ MORE: Former Crystal Palace striker talks with inspirational honesty about his battle with depression

"A transplant would be a game changer. It's the only way to get rid of it."

Transplanting fresh stem cells from donated bone marrow can treat the cancer.

But because Delroy is of African Caribbean origin his chances of finding a donor are slimmer because of the low number of donors with African Caribbean heritage on the donor register.

And none of Delroy's five siblings fit the criteria to make the vital donation.

His chances would be improved if more people from his background were on the register to donate bone marrow. Delroy thinks that the support he has received could translate into something positive for other sufferers.

"It's strange, people don't usually like bailiffs," he said.

"But I have had so much support, from everyone including complete strangers.

"I'm Croydon born and bred, I know everyone. And being on telly I still don't know how that happened that gives me an opportunity to raise awareness.

"Hopefully we can encourage more people to become donors, becasuse if I'm honest, even I didn't know anything about this issue."

A campaign has now begun to help find the missing match to save Delroy's life and more donors for future sufferers.

READ MORE: Emotional celebration held in memory of Croydon murder victim Bjorn Brown

The #Match4Delroy appeal is to be led by blood cancer charity the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) and encourages people to join the donor register.

Delroy's daughter Domenique Anglin said: "He is a fantastic father to my siblings and a wonderful grandfather too.

"I am appealing on his behalf to all Caribbean and African people in the UK and abroad to join the register, in the hope they might be the match that saves his life."

Delroy's sister, Janet Hills, is chair of the Met Black Police Association.

She said: If you love Del on the show as much as I love him as my brother, then please, please, please make that commitment today to join the stem cells register."

To join the Stem Cell Register visit aclt.org

The rest is here:
Croydon dad who stars in Channel 5 show needs transplant to live after 'death sentence' diagnosis - Croydon Advertiser

This entry was posted on April 25, 2017 at 4:52 am and is filed under Death by Stem Cells. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |