A 17-time rowing champion and army officer, Paul Giblin has been battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma since April 2012. This Christmas his friends and family are hoping to save his life, and the lives of others, by increasing the number of people on the bone marrow global registry.
Paul needs to find a bone match before January, currently there are no matches available. He is undergoing chemotherapy, but this treatment can not cure him, it will only buy him time.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service says over 100 people attended a dedicated clinic in Galway to try to find a suitable match for Paul.
He recently married his fiancee Cate on December 6th.
His friends started a campaign around the hashtag #MarrowMatch. As well as finding a match for Paul Giblin - it also hopes to raise awareness about the bone marrow global registry.
Speaking to Newstalk Lunchtime, Paul Giblin said that he hopes the campaign will highlight the issue of bone marrow transplants. He advised people to visit the Irish Blood Transfusion Service's website, it has full information about the bone marrow registry.
He also encouraged people to give blood over Christmas - blood can be donated at over 25 locations around the country.
More information is available at MarrowMatch.eu.
