A new ITV documentary detailing blood cancer patient Peter McCleave’s journey to Macao to raise awareness of stem cell treatment is set to debut on 7 July.
Titled Chasing the Odds: A Journey of Hope, the film also documents McCleave’s efforts to find a genetically compatible donor for himself in Macao, a task that is made all the more difficult by the UK campaigner’s mixed English, Irish and Macanese heritage.
In 2017, the father of two sons was diagnosed with an incurable form of blood cancer known as myeloma and was given only seven years to live. Thanks to new drugs, McCleave has been able to temporarily stave off the disease, but he will need to find a suitable donor if he is to see his sons grow up and potentially live long enough to see a breakthrough in treatment.
In an attempt to raise awareness for his 10,000 Donors campaign and increase his chances of finding a matching donor, McCleave made a trip to Macao last November to take advantage of Encontro 2024 – an annual gathering in which members of the Macanese diaspora congregate in Macao to celebrate their culture and heritage.
“This was the one opportunity I was ever going to have to engage with anyone of the Macanese heritage en masse,” the former investment banker says in the trailer.
McCleave’s worries and doubts are on full display in the documentary, with the campaigner noting in the trailer that “what I don’t want to do is stand on stage … and no one listens.”
The campaigner’s efforts have not been in vain, as members of the Macanese community who spoke to ITV expressed a strong desire to take a swab test to determine if they are a suitable donor.
“After the initial goosebumps, I feel compelled to do my absolute best to help him as best I can” one Macanese interviewee said. “We’re a very loving and welcoming community. We will all try to do our best to help him [McCleave], even though I only just met him yesterday.”
[See more: Peter McCleave brings his fight against cancer to Macao]
In an interview with Macao News last year, McCleave said that the ITV film crew would “be following my family heritage, seeing some of the presentations I’m giving and some of the events we’ve got lined up.”
Having already seen a pre-draft of the documentary, McCleave says that it “brought back what kind of feels like a bit of an ethereal trip” and reminded him of his “wonderful experience” in the city where he “met so many great people.”
At the same time, the documentary proved to be an “impactful” and “tough watch” for him, especially the scene featuring his sons, Max and Seb.
“Knowing that they [the sons] are fully cognisant of the situation is hard enough,” the campaigner says. “They’ve had enough to deal within their lifetime with my situation.”
Earlier, McCleave said that he was “aware [of] how difficult it is to find a match,” but stressed that the campaign was not simply about him.
“My story was never the most important thing,” McCleave says in the trailer. “It’s been a foil for a much broader conversation about health inequality.”
Since wrapping up his trip to Macao, McCleave says he has continued his search for a donor.
“The medication I’m taking is working, so [there’s] still more time for that elusive match to turn up,” he says. The campaigner also mentions that he is “really hoping to get back to Macao at some point to continue the work on behalf of all of the Macanese community.”
In the meantime, McCleave has redirected his attention to the international blood cancer charity, DKMS, serving as its managing director. He is currently planning to take part in a fundraising skydive.
