Scott Rorrison, 45, a father of three from Hull, East Yorkshire, saved the lives of two of his daughters by stepping in as a stem cell donor when international matches fell through. He described the act as the 'natural thing to do.'
Rare Genetic Disorder Diagnosis
Penny, now 11, was diagnosed with fanconi anaemia at age five after experiencing frequent nosebleeds and bruises. Her younger sister Daisy, now eight, was also found to have the same condition when testing for potential donors for Penny in 2021. The family was devastated by the news.
Scott said: 'We were devastated and just felt really unlucky, and were wondering, why has this happened to us? It was really upsetting.'
Their third daughter, Annie, tested negative for the condition. Both Penny and Daisy required stem cell transplants to replace their faulty bone marrow cells.
Failed Matches and Haploidentical Transplant
A perfect match for Penny was initially found in Germany when she was six, but the donor failed a health check at the last minute. Scott and his wife Sam were then tested. Sam was pregnant with Annie at the time, leaving Scott as the only viable donor.
Scott donated his stem cells for Penny in March 2022. The donation required a central line inserted into his jugular vein after injections stimulated bone marrow production. He said: 'You would do anything for your kids. My dad would have done it for me. It's just the natural thing to do. You don't think about it, you don't question it, you just do it.'
In August 2025, Scott repeated the process for Daisy after a donor match in Brazil fell through. Both girls underwent chemotherapy for a week before their transplants at Leeds Children's Hospital.
Resilience and Recovery
Scott recalled a traumatic moment when he had to cut off Penny's hair during chemotherapy. Despite the challenges, both girls remained resilient. Scott said: 'They were still laughing, still playing and still happy to play pranks on the doctors.'
Sam added: 'They had to be off school for around six months, but they were still getting up every day and doing schoolwork with the teacher and FaceTiming their friends. They just didn't give up.'
Looking Forward: British Transplant Games
Penny now has check-ups every six months, while Daisy has bi-weekly appointments. This summer, the family will attend the Westfield Health British Transplant Games in Sheffield from August 6-9. The event features 2,500 participants, including over 1,000 transplant recipients, across 26 sports.
Scott said: 'We've signed up for the obstacle course, swimming, ball throwing, speed stacking and the donor run. We wanted the kids to meet others who have been through similar things, and to meet other parents. It's a real celebration of what you've been through.'
