Former Army reservist Jake Parker was diagnosed with cancer not long after he turned 21 and again at 34.

Now 43 and diagnosed for a third time, he’s lived with the uncertainty of cancer for more than half his life. The one thing he needs now is a match with a stem cell donor so he can potentially undergo a stem cell transplant. 

“I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004, just after my 21st birthday,” Dr Parker said.

“It was actually failing the run on my basic fitness assessment, which was unusual for me in my role as a reservist, which triggered the medical tests that diagnosed my cancer.

“We found that I had severe anaemia, which was caused by my lymphoma. In a way, my ADF training led to an earlier diagnosis and treatment.”

Since being diagnosed, Dr Parker has undergone immunotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. It is now likely he will soon need a stem cell transplant. But currently there is no stem cell donor match for him in Australia or worldwide. 

Dr Parker’s brother Ben Parker, who works for Defence in Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, is passionate about promoting the Stem Cell Donation Register on behalf of his brother and family. 

“As part of the annual Defence Blood Drive everyone knows you can donate blood and plasma,” Mr Parker said.

“Some know you can register to donate organs but almost no-one knows you can also register to become a stem cell donor, either via a home-delivered cheek swab or while donating blood.

“We want to encourage fit and healthy 18-to-35-year-olds to register to become stem cell donors. You can make an extraordinary difference to a family like ours.”

'I also want to encourage people to see a doctor if you're not feeling your regular self. Young people, especially men, aren’t always good at self-care.'

In Australia, the stem cell register is run by Stem Cell Donors, and joining the stem cell register is easy. It involves signing up online and doing a mouth swab that is sent and returned by mail.

If you happen to match with a patient who needs a stem cell transplant, the lifesaving donation procedure is very similar to donating blood or plasma.

More than 145,000 Australians live with a blood cancer or disorder. Many will require a transplant to survive.

Dr Parker currently lives and works across Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands with his partner and two children. He was an Army reservist in the 2nd Light Horse Regiment from 2001 to 2010 while studying medicine at university.

He said it was very easy to help people with blood cancer and join the stem cell register.

“It's just a cotton bud cheek swab, which you send back in the mail. In terms of potentially saving someone’s life, that’s a great first step,” Dr Parker said.

“For anyone outside of the stem cell donation age range, all your support and talking about blood cancers really helps, too. You can help an enormous amount even if you can’t be a stem cell donor yourself.

“I also want to encourage people to see a doctor if you're not feeling your regular self. Young people, especially men, aren’t always good at self-care.

“Whilst everything may be normal, you may find something important earlier rather than later, or get connected to support that makes you healthier. None of us are invincible.”

For more information on becoming a stem cell donor visit Stem Cell Donors Australia.

The Defence Blood Drive is the longest-running blood drive in Australia.