Firefighter runs London Marathon in memory of her friend

Chloe McAndie, age 28 from Ellon, says the charity gave her more time with her friend Rosie Carr, as Rosie was able to receive a stem cell transplant through the Anthony Nolan stem cell register.

Chloe said: “I’ve chosen to run the London Marathon in support of Anthony Nolan because it is a charity that means a lot to my friends and family. Thanks to this charity we were able to spend more years making memories with my wonderful friend Rosie.”

Rosie, from Ellon, was 18 and studying for a degree in nursing when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

She needed a stem cell transplant and none of her family were the correct match for her. Anthony Nolan was able to match her with a donor and Rosie received a successful stem cell transplant.

Chloe explained how the transplant gave Rosie precious time to spend with family and friends and making memories.

She said: “Rosie learned to drive, went on a girl’s holiday to Croatia, attended many concerts including the Spice Girls and spent loads of quality time with her family and friends.

“She was also able to give back herself to Anthony Nolan and held a quiz night at one of our local hotels which raised a great amount as well as encouraging those attending to join the register if they could.”

Rosie was again diagnosed with ALL and the individual who donated their stem cells the first time, donated again.

This time Rosie experienced complications and sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of 26.

Chloe said: “Rosie was never able to meet her donor, but she was so grateful that they were able to give her that donation not once but twice and all her family and friends are forever grateful for the extra time we had with her because of them.

“Running for this cause is my way of saying thank you to the charity and Rosie’s donor for giving myself, her family and friends and anyone who was lucky enough to know Rosie, more time with her.”

 

Chloe has been getting ready to join the thousands of runners on the 26.2-mile challenge in London on Sunday, 26 April, and she has some experience. She’s been running for around six years, and she ran the Loch Ness Marathon in 2023. While she has been training hard, she admits she’s still a bit nervous about the actual event.

She said: “Training has been harder; at the start of this year, we had a lot of snow so even getting out the door was a struggle. The main thing I’m nervous for is the heat on the day, I’m not a fan of running in the heat and it’s not something we experience much of up North.

“When I do have a tough day, I just remind myself why I am running for Anthony Nolan. On my long runs to keep me motivated the best way is to just put on some good tunes (Rosie was a big One Direction fan) and a good bag of sweeties.”

Chloe has been an on call firefighter for four years and just over a year ago she became a trainee wholetime (full time) firefighter at Peterhead Community Fire Station.

 

Helping to serve in her local community has been part of Chloe’s life. Her dad, Derek McAndie was a sub officer at Ellon Community Fire Station and was an on call firefighter for around 30 years.

She said: “My role has helped me with training for the marathon, as I need to keep fit as part of my job. The mindset that my job has given me will help me when I feel like I’m struggling during the marathon.”

Running in the London Marathon is a personal bucket list item for Chloe and she’s excited about seeing her family there on day who will be cheering her on.

She’ll be keeping Rosie firmly in her mind as well as the cause she’s running for, and she encourages more people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register as doing this can make an incredible difference to someone in need.

She said: “If I’m able to raise some money for the charity that's brilliant but more importantly if someone reading this or sees anything I've shared joins the stem cell register, then that's even better.”

 

Laura Kirkwood, head of supporter-led fundraising at Anthony Nolan, said: “We’re super proud that Chloe is running the iconic London Marathon for Anthony Nolan in memory of her friend Rosie.

“Chloe is amazing. Not only is she saving lives in her day job as a firefighter, but her incredible fundraising and inspiring determination to tackle this marathon challenge will help us to further our mission to save lives through stem cells. Thanks to supporters like Chloe, we can all work towards a future where every patient who needs us can survive and thrive.” 

Support Chloe and Anthony Nolan

 

Further information:

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service charity partnership

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has worked in partnership with the Anthony Nolan charity for more than 15 years.

Through the partnership more than 20,000 potential donors have been recruited to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register and 132 have donated stem cells.

Read more about the partnership: SFRS and Anthony Nolan

About Anthony Nolan  

Anthony Nolan is a UK stem cell transplant charity with 50 years of expertise in uniting science and people to push the boundaries of what can be achieved for blood cancer and blood disorder patients.     

Its world-leading stem cell register matches potential donors to patients in need of transplants. It carries out cell and gene therapy research to increase transplant success and supports patients through their transplant journeys.     

Anthony Nolan helps four people in need of a transplant a day, giving more people a second chance at life. But the charity won’t stop until all patients have access to the treatment they need, so many more survive.     

Stem cells hold enormous potential and have the power to help people with blood cancers and blood disorders. This potential inspires everything Anthony Nolan does. Driven by patients, backed by stem cell donors, and powered by science, the charity won’t stop until the lifesaving potential of the cells inside us all has been uncovered.