Strabane men united in fight against cancer

IF ever the saying blood is thicker than water rang true it’s in the case of the Carlin brothers, Paul and Conor.

Conor has just been confirmed as a stem cell donor for his older brother who is battling Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Paul has been receiving treatment for the cancer since November last year. The 35-year-old has already beaten the debilitating illness twice. He was only 18 when he was first diagnosed with the cancer, and it returned three years later when he was 21. Clear of the disease for 13 years Paul was devastated to learn it had returned in October last year.

“I’ve been going through chemotherapy for the last seven months in Altnagelvin it’s got to stage where I’m nearly at the end of my treatment so the next stage is a stem cell transplant. When I was 18 or 19 I had a stem cell transplant done then, so with having had chemo they said the chances of getting enough stem cells from myself are slim to none so that’s why each of my brothers got tested,” Paul explained. “They told me that each brother had a 20 per-cent chance of being a match, I have four younger brothers so I had a good opportunity for success, and thankfully Conor was a match. The great thing about it is that I thought I was going to have to stay in a Dublin hospital and wait for a donor so this takes away all that worry away. The treatment will take place in Belfast now.”

This isn’t the first time Conor has stepped up to help his big brother. When Paul cancer diagnosis came at the end of last year Conor and his pals at Strabane Athletic launched a fund-raising drive to help Paul and the family deal with expenses they faced as his treatment continues.

Thanks to the generosity of the people of Strabane more than £31,500 was raised to help support the family

“In three weeks we’ll both be going to get the cells harvested, then we’ll get sent back home. I’ll wait for a bed to come available at the Royal and then I’ll go back up and I’ll have to stay in isolation for a month,” Paul explained.

“I get extensive chemo for the first three days, that kills your immune system so you are basically starting from fresh. On day four they put the healthy stem cells back in and the remainder of the month I’ll be in isolation just to make sure I don’t pick up any infections.

“When they feel I’m healthy and fit enough hopefully that will be me finished with everything after they do the PET scan. That will be everything finished fingers crossed,” Paul explained.

“I had a scan recently and they told me everything was looking good, we just have this final hurdle to get over first. Then I’m done and dusted then I can start planning the rest of my life and that’s what I’m focused on.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and friends, and the support of the whole town. To have that support has just made things so much easier for me. All I have to concentrate and worry about is my treatment, everything else has been taken out of my hands and looked after which is just amazing.

“It’s incredible thing to be in this position – the care and the love that was there from the whole town – it’s impossible to put in to words.

“What we have done from the start is trying to stay positive and that’s been possible thanks to all the support I have received.”

And when the opportunity arose for Conor (31) to help his big brother he didn’t hesitate. “You’d do it for a stranger if you were told they were a match, never mind your older brother who is having a hard time of it. Of course I would do it. If I could go and do it tomorrow I would. Paul has talked me thorough the process and I just want to get it done so we can get on the next step to recovery.”

Concluding Paul added, “I’m getting looked after by the best people, I just need to trust the process and try and stay positive every single day. All my brothers were willing to put themselves through the wringer for me, and I’m delighted it has worked out with Conor as a match.”