21/10/2026
If any of you are feeling charitable, please have a read of my friend Matty’s journey. He wouldn’t be here now without the help of DKMS. Link below…
https://www.justgiving.com/page/mattycragg100km
🏃 A North Shields man is set to take on a 100km ultra-marathon, eight years after he had a lifesaving stem cell transplant.
Matty Cragg, who describes the procedure as "the greatest gift I'll ever get", and a "second chance at life", is taking on the mammoth challenge for blood cancer charity DKMS UK.
👏 After being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma aged 25, Matty, now 37, had been seriously unwell for years, and he adds: "A complete stranger in Germany joined the stem cell register and turned out to be my perfect donor match, after I had spent years seriously unwell with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
"Because of that one selfless decision, I’m here today, and since then, I’ve travelled the world and experienced a life I once wasn’t sure I’d have. Running 100km from Bamburgh Castle to Tynemouth Priory on October 24, starting at 5am, will be a huge challenge, but every step will be a reminder of what one stem cell donor made possible.
"I’ll be raising money for DKMS, the blood cancer charity that helped me find my life-saving donor, and I’ll be encouraging more people to join the stem cell donor register, which is quick and easy. By making a donation or joining the register, you could be somebody’s second chance."
😔 Just one in three patients find a matching stem cell donor within their own family, with this often the only possibility for treatment. By being on the stem cell register, the person involved selflessly saved Matty's life, something he will be forever grateful for.
Matty had only ever run 30km in one go before he started training, but had completed in the World Transplant Games and completed this year's Great North Run. He has spoken of his 'pride' at helping to raise awareness, but says that he "wants to do more".
He added: "I want to make as big an impact as I can on this challenge. Thanks to my stem cell transplant, I’ve built eight years of memories I never thought I’d get to make, I want other people with blood cancers or disorders to have that chance too."
