‘I’ve climbed the highest mountains’

Posted on 1 August 2016

When Ray Funnell (51) told his wife in 2006 that he had leukaemia, she thought he was joking. He wasn’t, but a sense of humour and a stem cell donation saw him through the worst. This is his story.

The bad news
‘I had a few bruises that wouldn’t heal, but I didn’t think much of it,’ says Ray. ‘My wife convinced me to see a doctor and blood tests revealed that I had leukaemia. I drove home shaking. Our three children were still young – aged between 10 and 15. I was sent to an oncologist who told me I had to be put in an isolation ward because my immunity was so compromised. I was also told that I had no platelets. The day before I’d been on holiday quad-biking with my family. If I had gotten injured I would’ve bled to death. I was given my first transfusion. I’d been a blood donor for many years and suddenly became a grateful recipient.’

This was the start of a donor-recipient relationship that would help save Ray’s life.

The plan
Aggressive chemotherapy followed.

‘I had never been in hospital or had an operation before, but there I was having a port put in my chest for chemotherapy. Fortunately I didn’t have too many side effects initially, but the chemo flattened me. I was bedridden for about six weeks and had to survive off red blood cell and platelet donations. I became a huge fan of donors and encouraged everyone I knew to donate blood. I found that most people are willing to donate, they just aren’t aware of the necessity.’

A second dose of chemo wiped out the leukaemia and put Ray into remission, but a stem cell donation was needed for a more permanent cure.

The gift
‘I have only one sibling, a brother, and I am beyond lucky that his stem cells match mine. The odds of that happening are only one in four. While my brother was lying in one hospital having his stem cells extracted, I was waiting patiently for them at the Mediclinic Wits Donald Gordon Centre. My wife volunteered to drive the cells directly to me. I told her she’d better not crash!

‘Receiving my brother’s stem cells was a blessing. I’d been struggling with a throat infection. For days I hadn’t been able to sleep or swallow and then the miracle happened. My brother’s bone marrow started to grow inside me. His white cells knocked my throat infection in a day or so. I was so relieved. My brother is a different blood type to me, but now I am his blood type.’

The good news
Although Ray still had to undergo further rounds of difficult chemo that hit him extremely hard to the point of almost not making it, he has lived to tell the tale: ‘Coming close to death has had a profound impact. I’ve re-evaluated what’s important. Health is a huge blessing but I’ve discovered that the biggest blessing is to follow your dreams. I always wanted to climb mountains so the minute I was better I started training and did it. I’ve become the ultimate yes man.’

Ray has climbed Kilimanjaro (twice!), Aconcagua, Mount Elbrus and Vinson, but conquering cancer is by far the highest mountain he’s ever had to climb.