An Edinburgh photographer has been honoured by blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan for his ‘super’ fundraising efforts, at an awards ceremony held at the Tower of London.
Micah Stanbridge was shortlisted for the Individual Fundraiser of the Year Award at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards 2019, after his mum’s life was saved by the charity.
The prestigious Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards were back for their seventh year to recognise the outstanding achievements of the volunteers, fundraisers, and campaigners who help the pioneering blood cancer charity save lives.
Micah’s nomination was in recognition of his incredible fundraising, which saw him take on an 65km ultra-marathon in 2016 and in 2018 embark on an astounding 41-day cycle solo and unsupported across America as his alter-ego, SuperMarrowMan. The cycle covered 10 states, nearly 170000ft of ascent and required Micah to cycle an average distance of 100miles per day. Combining both of these challenges, Micah has raised nearly £11,000 for the charity.
The photographer’s mum was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was 15 and after eight years of chemotherapy and with four months to live, Anthony Nolan found her a life-saving stem cell donor. Six years later, Micah’s friend Tom was also diagnosed with the disease, but tragically died at the age of 30 after he was unable to find a match.
Micah wanted to do something to celebrate his mum’s survival, commemorate Tom and ultimately help other’s in the same position.
Micah said: “When it comes to blood cancer, everybody has the chance to be a superhero. Through my fundraising campaign, I wanted to try and educate people about the disease, and show how simple it is to help those who need it most, and to be a life saver’.
“The fact that I can go and visit my mum is because her donor signed up to the register through Anthony Nolan. She has been able to live another 14 years and is continuing to enjoy a healthy and active life”. Micah added: “Anthony Nolan is a huge part of who I am”.
Henny Braund, Chief Executive at Anthony Nolan, said: ‘Congratulations to Micah for being commended at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards. It was lovely to meet him and I continue to find myself inspired and humbled by the dedication and strength of supporters like him.
‘By raising vital funds and much needed awareness, we are curing blood cancer together. We can give families hope, and give more people a future. But without supporters like Micah, lives can’t be saved. Without him, there is no cure.’
The awards took place on Thursday 28 November at the Tower of London, and were hosted by comedian Nish Kumar.
Anthony Nolan is the charity that finds matching stem cell donors for people with blood cancer and blood disorders and gives them a second chance at life. It also carries out ground-breaking research to save more lives and provide information and support to patients after a stem cell transplant, through its clinical nurse specialists and psychologists, who help guide patients through their recovery.
To see the full list of winners, and find out more about the charity visit www.anthonynolan.org/awards
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