Zac, 63, from Wimbledon in South London, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in August 2021. Zac urgently needs a blood stem cell transplant to save his life.
Zac and his family are encouraging more people to sign up to the blood stem cell register, especially those from a Greek Cypriot background. Zac is most likely to match with a donor from the same ethnic background.
Zac is a well-known figure within London’s Greek community and is the owner of a long-standing restaurant in Wimbledon. Zac spends a lot of his leisure time helping his local community
After being diagnosed, Zac was told by the medical team that chemotherapy would only halt the spread of his cancer, however it would not cure it. The only chance of survival for Zac now is a blood stem cell transplant.
Speaking of his diagnosis, Zac said: “I was brought into hospital, after three mini strokes. No one was expecting the test results to reveal the cause of the illness as leukaemia, but when they did, I was immediately transferred to the cancer unit to begin urgent chemotherapy.
“The doctors have said that a stem cell transplant will be needed in the next three to four months, but there’s not currently a donor for me on the register.
“My wife, Lula, is on the register, as blood cancer had also affected a young member of our family. It’s one of those things that you think will never happen to you, but it has happened to me, and next it could be you, or your brother or sister, who desperately needs a matching donor.
“If you’re deliberating over whether to join the stem cell register, I will say this: please do it. Because you can save someone’s life. And it will make you feel good.”
If you’re aged 17-55 and in general good health, please register today, you might be the one person Zac needs – or one of the many other people searching for a donor – to give him a second chance of life.”