An inspiring Olympic story

Although the Olympics took a backstage role over the Jubilee weekend, there was one inspiring story that caught my eye. On Tuesday, the Olympic torch made its way from Dublin to Belfast, stopping off en route in the Northern Irish city of Newry. As British cities go, Newry rarely makes the news, but the story of Ryan Cinnamond helped to thrust it briefly into the limelight.

Ryan is a 17 year old resident of Newry who suffered an aortic aneurism eighteen months ago and was given a 10% chance of survival. During the surgery that followed, Ryan received 64 litres of blood. It was a colossal effort to save a young life. Although he came through the surgery, the doctors were unable to save his legs.

As I prepared to head off to Scotblood this week, Ryan’s story has played on my mind and has been a reminder of the importance of blood donation. What chance would Ryan have had, had others not donated the 64 litres that saved his life? I may be heading off to Stirling to exhibit for Lorne – as laboratory equipment suppliers and manufacturers of laboratory reagents it is natural that we would be there – but I am reminded that our products play a role in such stories.

So it is also fitting that Ryan was chosen to represent the people of Newry in carrying the Olympic torch as it made its way through the city. Despite only being fitted with prosthetic legs a short time ago, the courageous youngster has amazed everyone with his determination and progress. He is surely an inspiration to everyone that donates blood, to the skills of the medical profession and to the people of his city.
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