He Traveled 10,000 Miles To Thank The Man Who Saved His Life

May 31, 2025

In a powerful moment years in the making, two strangers who now share an unbreakable bond finally met face to face in the town of Preston, England—half a world away from where their story began.

Luke Melling, 31, from Melbourne, Australia, had battled Hodgkin lymphoma since he was 16. After several relapses and years of grueling treatment, he was told that his only hope for survival was a stem cell transplant. With no match found in his family or even across Australia, the search went global.

After six long months of uncertainty, the answer came from 10,000 miles away: Alastair Hawken, a father-of-three from Lincolnshire, UK, was a perfect match.

“I was staring death in the face,” Luke shared. “When we found out we had the perfect match, that was an emotional moment. I remember my mum was in hysterics, crying.”

Alastair, a regular blood donor who had joined the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry back in 2008, was stunned by the request to donate. But he didn’t hesitate.

“It was no problem at all,” Alastair said. “What can I do, where can I be?”

He endured a physically taxing process to prepare his body, including high-strength cell-generating injections. Days later, stem cells were carefully extracted, packaged, and cryogenically frozen for their long journey to Australia—where Luke waited for the transplant that would save his life.

The two were not allowed to contact each other until two years had passed—a standard rule to ensure the treatment had been successful. When the time finally came, Alastair was overjoyed to learn that his donation had worked.

“It was like all my Christmases had come at once,” he recalled.

Their first meeting took place in Preston, a town that carries meaning for both men, as their families share roots there. The emotional reunion was filled with gratitude and warmth.

“To have someone like you, who is so beautiful, lovely, and kind, having done all this—I'm glad it's your cells,” Luke told him. “The moment I got to give him that huge hug and thank him in person is a moment I’ll never forget.”

Alastair, who runs a gingerbread business, sees his donation as part of his legacy.

“If I achieve nothing more than just seeing that smile on your face, then I’ve achieved everything I need to achieve.”

Now fully recovered, Luke has even run a marathon and is urging others to consider joining the stem cell donor registry.

Alastair hopes their story inspires more people to register.

“There’s nothing that makes you feel more complete as a human being—and when it’s a success story like this, it makes everything worthwhile.”

Meet Luke and Alastair in the video below: