Dursley’s dedicated coach backed by her club
For more than two decades Nadine Thomas has made a difference to the lives of local youngsters as a mini and youth coach supporting hundreds who have begun playing rugby at Dursley RFC.
After 23 years of being there for the young people and now the club’s Vice President, she was diagnosed with myeloma, a bone marrow cancer that attacks white blood cells. The club quickly decided to start fundraising for Myeloma UK, with donations via a Just Giving page.
And at the club’s recent 70th anniversary event former Dursley, Gloucester and England No 8 Ben Morgan unveiled the plaque to announce Myeloma UK as the club's charity of the year.
As business owner Nadine, her husband Rob, and sons Simon and Stephen learned more about the aggressive cancer, she was having treatment at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust and was being supported by Gloucestershire’s Myeloma Support Group at the Maggie’s Centre in Cheltenham and nationally by the registered charity her club is now fundraising for.
Nadine said: "The support I’ve received from the NHS, Myeloma UK and Maggie’s Centre in Cheltenham has been fantastic. Who would have thought that a visit to the doctors for a bad back would result in this. Some earlier blood tests revealed I was extremely anaemic, one of the typical signs of myeloma. However, other symptoms such as fatigue, back pain, increased levels of calcium and general bone pain can also be attributed to many illnesses so myeloma can be difficult to diagnose even for GPs. I was lucky, my back pain made my GP look further and take more blood tests resulting in my diagnosis and swift treatment programme. It’s important if you don’t feel things are right that you do something about it.”
Dursley RFC Chair Phil Sprague said: “When we heard about Nadine’s diagnosis there was no doubt that we would make this our charity focus for this year. Many of our most senior players were introduced to rugby by Nadine and she has also played a key part in organising our annual fundraising ball over many years. Nadine, Rob, Simon and Stephen have been a big part of our club and community for many years and we want to show our love and support for them all."
A number of events will run throughout the year including a team from Dursley’s men’s section walking 98 miles from the clubhouse in Gloucestershire to Twickenham for the kick-off of the Six Nations England v Ireland match on Saturday 9 March. And Simon will be in training to run the London Marathon despite being a long distance novice.
Myeloma UK is a charity solely funded by its supporters. It receives no funding at all from the NHS or government… that’s why every penny counts! Find out more about Myeloma UK's work over the past 25 years here.
