Brass bands get transplant tested to try and save life of trombonist with cancer
SWNS Brass bands are getting tested for a transplant for cancer sufferer and trombonist Stephen Sykes
Hundreds of musicians around the UK are using swab kits to see if they are a stem cell donor match for Stephen Sykes, 26. The talented musician and conductor who has played with the likes of Sting, has an aggressive form of cancer. But with the clock ticking, brass bands across the country are rallying together through a Facebook campaign to help save him.
Musicians from across the country are getting swab tested to see if they are a match in a desperate bid to help the desperately ill trombonist.
The cancer has gone into my bone marrow and they cannot find an existing match for me at the minute Stephen Sykes
Mr Sykes, from Shepton Mallet, Somerset, described how he found out about his illness which began in December 2015. He said: ''I noticed for probably about a month I was really tired all the time especially on Tuesdays which my longest day of the week. “I was flat out asleep as soon as I got home which was not me at all. I thought nothing of it.
SWNS The talented musician who has played with the likes of Sting, has an aggressive form of cancer
“Then we got into January and I got a really bad cold, they didn't normally affect me that much. “This one was really bad, I could not talk, I could not do anything and I thought something wasn't right. I went to the doctors and by this time I had some tiny lumps on my neck. The young man visited the doctors who initially put it down to a virus but when his symptoms failed to desist he returned. He was sent for a biopsy at the RUH in Bath and was devastatingly diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, or blood cancer, in February last year and has since undergone five rounds of chemotherapy but it has not worked so far. “During the second treatment I lost all my hair and got to a stage where I stayed in bed for three to four weeks, I could not move. “Since the second lot of treatment the cancer has gone into my bone marrow. Doctors have taken my own stem cells. They cannot find an existing match for me at the minute.” Even if a donor is found, medics need to bring his condition under control before considering him for a transplant. He started his latest batch of treatment two weeks ago and the family hope it will help bring his condition under control to ready him for a transplant.
SWNS Even if a donor is found, his condition will first need to be brought under control
Mr Sykes was destined for a successful brass career after winning countless awards including the British Open in 2010 and 2013 and the National Finals with the Black Dyke Band in 2014. He also notably shared the stage with rock legend Sting and performed in front of Prince Charles during his college days in Cardiff. He has not played his beloved trombone since October 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall for Bryn Terfel’s 50th birthday party. More recently he has started teaching youngsters in his spare time but started coming home from practice “flat out”. His mother Jo Sykes, 46, said: “We are hoping to have swab test stations at events around the country - we are even trying to get one of the stem cell registration companies on board.
SWNS Musicians from across the country are getting swab tested to see if they are a match
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