When Sharon Berger, a London grandmother, passed away in 2017 after a decade-long battle with a rare blood cancer, her family turned their grief into action.
Her husband, Stephen Berger, 78, a former partner at RSM UK pioneered a lifesaving partnership between stem cell transplant charity Anthony Nolan and audit, tax and consulting firm RSM, UK, which is now celebrating sponsoring 10,000 lifesaving courier trips.
Sharon Berger was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare form of blood cancer, in 2013. She urgently needed a stem cell transplant, but with no matching siblings and no registered donors worldwide, finding a match seemed nearly impossible.
Aware of the challenges of finding a match, given Sharon’s ethnic minority background, the Berger family mobilised family, friends, colleagues and people around the world as part of an appeal for a donor.
The worldwide campaign, joined by A-List celebrities such as Britney Spears and One Direction, inspired thousands of people to join the stem cell register, especially those with Jewish backgrounds like Sharon. The campaign has since provided many others with a second chance at life through life-saving stem cell matches.
Looking back at that time, Sharon’s husband Stephen said: “My wife’s prognosis wasn’t very good. and it was said that she might only live for a year but in fact, that turned out to be much longer.”
Sharon had a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor facilitated by Anthony Nolan and was given more time with her family and friends, but she relapsed, and she sadly died in April 2017.
The Berger family have remained committed to supporting Anthony Nolan, with Stephen pioneering the partnership between RSM and Anthony Nolan and volunteering his time as a stem cell courier since 2012.
Stephen had the idea that RSM UK could support Anthony Nolan, and they then went on to sponsor a tangible part of their work by the company funding the volunteer couriers, who, like him, give up their time to transport lifesaving cells across the globe to get them to patients as quickly as possible.
This year Anthony Nolan is celebrating 15 years of partnership with RSM UK, they have recently celebrated the 10,000th trip funded by RSM UK, and the company have also raised a whopping £2 million for the charity in that time.
Discussing how Sharon would feel about the impact of the partnership started in her name Stephen said, “I think she’d be absolutely delighted that it was part of her legacy. Some of the donors that we signed up would have gone on to donate and save other people’s lives. That’s a really memorable legacy that my wife has left and she would have been absolutely overjoyed.
“Having exceeded 10,000 courier trips, potentially to save 10,000 lives is a milestone which we are very proud of and Sharon would think that was absolutely brilliant!”
Stephen added, “I’ve always found Anthony Nolan to be an inspiring charity. It really is saving lives. Anybody who’s able to sign up has a wonderful opportunity to save someone’s life. It’s probably one of the most wonderful things you could ever do.”
Anthony Nolan Chief Executive Henny Braund MBE said, “It’s incredible to be celebrating 15 years of RSM UK supporting Anthony Nolan and funding of our stem cell courier programme. Reaching 10,000 trips is a fantastic milestone and gives us all an opportunity to reflect on the real lifesaving impact that this partnership has for the patients and families that we strive to support.
“Thank you to everyone at RSM UK for your incredible support and generosity over the last 15 years and I hope we will continue to work together to save lives for the next 15, so that more patients that need us can survive and thrive.”
Nick Sladden, partner, chair of trustees for the RSM UK Foundation and Anthony Nolan volunteer said: “Stephen introduced RSM UK to Anthony Nolan back in 2010 – turning personal trauma into a successful partnership that has not only lasted 15 years, but the collaboration has raised much-needed funds to support the lifesaving work of Anthony Nolan.
“We are hugely proud of our long-standing partnership with Anthony Nolan. This longevity has allowed us to fund over 10,000 courier trips offering hope and potentially life-saving stem cells to people in need when they need it. It’s a network of volunteers that all dedicate time to help others and that’s something truly special to be a part of.”
