Pitts pledges payback time after defying chilling prognosis

Kevin Pitts is using his year as PGA West region captain to keep a pledge he made to raise funds for charities while recovering from a stem cell transplant that defied a chilling prognosis.

The 51-year-old first contracted non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when he was in his twenties and underwent radiotherapy to combat the condition.

It reoccurred in 2015, however, and a stem cell transplant using his own cells a year later proved unsuccessful.

Then when Pitts had a relapse in 2017 he was told his chances of beating it again were, at best, remote.

“I was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and given eight weeks to live,” recalled Pitts, the head pro at Woodspring Golf & Country Club, Bristol.

“I was definitely in the last chance saloon but I was very lucky. I got to meet a doctor in Bristol who wanted me to undergo a stem cell transplant whereby I would receive donor cells, as the previous transplant using my own cells failed.”

More good fortune followed when it came to finding a suitable donor. Pitts’ elder brother Tony, who is also a PGA pro, proved an imperfect match but salvation came from an unlikely source and circumstances.

“A 21-year-old student, who was giving blood in a Cornish clinic, was asked if he would be willing to donate stem cells to help others like me suffering from blood cancers,” Pitts explained.

“His family were against it but my donor went ahead, spending three days in a London hospital undergoing the procedure.

“He’s a similar build and height to me and, even more importantly, his stem cells were a 99 per cent match with mine.”

Eight months of treatment and recovery followed, including three in isolation to avoid infection because his immune system had been compromised.

And it was then, he made his pledge to raise funds to help the NHS and combat the disease that had jeopardised his life.

“I had plenty of time to think after the transplant, especially spending three months in isolation,” he said. “It was then I made a pact with the man upstairs that I needed to give something back and the best way to do it was fundraising – so I better stick to it.”

And stick to it he has. To date, Pitts has raised more than £70,000, mainly for the Bristol and Weston Hospitals Charity. 

The total includes the £1,300 generated by a sponsored abseil down the Avon Gorge in April involving him, his cousin who is an NHS nurse, and fellow PGA West region pro Ashley Mansell.

The beneficiaries from fundraising activities during his year as captain, however, will be two charities closely associated with his treatment and recovery from his illness. 

“I will be fundraising for two charities – the Anthony Nolan Trust and The PGA Benevolent Fund,” he said.

“My transplant process was arranged by the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity that does amazing life-saving work by making connections between patients in need and wonderful strangers who donate their stem cells.

“And during my time recovering I received phone calls and visits from David Wright who also arranged financial support from the PGA Benevolent Fund for which I’m truly grateful.”

Fundraising events include skydiving, a golf day at Farrington Park Golf Club on September 6, and a pro-am out of season so as many pros as possible will be able to take part.

In addition to all this activity Pitts plans to keep in contact with the stem cell donor who has played a key role in enabling him to keep living.

The pair met earlier in January three years after Pitts had undergone the transplant. “That’s how long the donor and recipient have to wait before they can meet,” Pitts explained.

“Both parties have the choice as to whether they want to get in touch and we did. It was very emotional. He’s now 24 and we plan to meet again. In the meantime, we keep in touch via Facebook and Twitter. He’s definitely become my hero.”

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