A teenager who suffered from cancer has become fast friends with the donor who helped save him after meeting for the first time.

Nathan Andrew, 16, from Middlesbrough, who was just nine when he was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, has said he could not put into words how he felt after meeting with the donor, Garin, 25, who supplied stem cells essential to his recovery.

18 months into his three-and-a-half-year treatment plan, doctors found in April 2017 the cancer had spread to his spinal fluid, meaning his "only chance of a cure" was a bone marrow transplant.

Fortunately, a perfect match living in the UK was found after six months and Nathan underwent the stem cell transplant in August of the same year before being cleared.

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Due to a policy surrounding stem cell donors, Fran and Nathan were unable to contact Garin after the treatment had concluded until recently, and have since met with Garin as Nathan discovered they had a lot in common.

Speaking on the meeting and how it came to happen, Fran said: "Nathan couldn't know who gave him the stem cells, and Garin as a donor wasn't allowed to know who the stem cells had gone to. You can't do anything about that for two years.

"After the two years were up, I was allowed to write a letter to the donor."

Nathan said: "When we met each other, we found we had a lot of things in common. We're both into Formula 1, computers, NASA.

"It was a bit unusual, it's someone who's been so significant in your life but then you're just sort of sat there talking with them.

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"It's a weird thing to describe, it doesn't match up with what you'd expect, you're sort of expecting this big [thing] and then you just sit down and you both end up being quite similar.

"You talk about stuff that's completely unrelated to your transplant and cancer, I don't know, it's just a bit unusual.

"Initially I was apprehensive, you don't know who they are, you don't know if you'll get along, you don't know anything about them

"You're obviously grateful and you're very thankful to them, but more than [that]. You sort of realise you're both quite similar."

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His mother, Fran Andrew, 51, said Nathan's treatment was "quite brutal" and involved radiation therapy to "kill off" his bone marrow, including a nine-day course of cranial and full-body treatments.

Speaking on the meeting, Ms Andrew said she thought it was peculiar that the one thing the pair did not talk about was Nathan's ordeal, and was happy to see the two discussing computers and quickly strike up a rapport.

She said the two discovered after chatting together about NASA that the two had both visited the Florida space centre just months apart, and had photos of them in the same spot.

She added the pair became fast friends and spoke for about three hours non-stop upon meeting.

Nathan was originally able to be matched with a transplant donor via the Anthony Nolan register.

Ms Andrew thanked Anthony Nolan and Garin for their support in helping save her son's life, and has called on others to support the charity.

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"It's lifesaving, it's literally lifesaving. If it wasn't for Garin signing that register when he was 18-years-old, we potentially would not have Nathan here.

"Nathan only had a 40 per cent chance of making it through the transplant as it was, if he didn't have a 10 out of 10 match, that percentage would have been zero.

"To register, go on the website, fill out the forms, they'll send you a swab kit, send it back, and then fingers crossed you'll get a call one day.

You can the see the register here.