|  | | | Ann-Marie, 36, was pregnant when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in 1998. Doctors induced the birth of her healthy daughter before she started treatment. She states that her second largest concern after the health of her child was losing her hair, but when it did start to fall out she ‘knew that [her] treatment was working and doing what it should be doing.’ ‘I got a wig from the hospital, then got my hairdresser to make it more trendy!’she adds.
Trendy hair aside, she says ‘always stay positive, never ever give up, however you are feeling there is always someone worse off than yourself.’
Roger, 66, was already familiar with blood cancers when he was diagnosed with lymphoma over three years ago, having been a regular participant in the Woking Bikeathon. ‘It was a healthy activity for a good cause: contributing funds for research,’he says, ‘It never crossed my mind that one day I myself might be a beneficiary.’ Roger’s diagnosis came after months of feeling sluggish and being prone to colds. ‘I nearly fell off the chair. At first I didn’t believe her [the consultant]. It couldn’t happen to me. I was fit.’
After a year of chemotherapy, Roger was recommended for a course of Rituximab, a new antibody-based drug, a product of the kind of research that Leukaemia Research funds. ‘Six months later, I was declared in remission, and able to ride the Woking Bikeathon again. What goes around comes around. It was the best ride of my life,’
Joanna, 29, has come a long way since doctors confirmed her Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) in 1998 - all the way to Australia in fact! ‘I emigrated in June and I am getting married in October,’ she says. Joanna received a bone marrow transplant in 1999, and ‘looked at it as a journey my body had to go on for me to get well and live life to the full again.’ She suggests ‘have one hundred percent faith in your medical team, tell them every little thing that you are feeling and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Deep breathing and relaxation techniques really help to keep you calm - I always felt strong inside, even if my body was doing all kinds of strange things.’)
Joanna sees her experience of CML as life changing. ‘I found that being diagnosed was like having a light switched on. I was only twenty-two and suddenly a clock was ticking and I knew that life would never be the same again. I was determined to live my life to the full and nothing was going to stop me!’
Click here for stories from family members of blood cancer patients. |
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