 |  |  | | | | | Life after leukaemia: What Katie really did next | | | | |
| | Katie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when she was 15. After visiting the doctor because of a cold she couldn’t seem to shake off, she ended up being told she had leukaemia.
Katie had months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, losing her hair and experiencing severe nausea, but since 1991 she has been in complete remission.
"I am the person I am because of ALL. It taught me so much about myself and other people, and what is really important. I know that sounds cheesy but it’s true!" says Katie, now 29.
Katie finished her GCSEs (even PE!) while she was being treated for ALL. She went on to college to do three A-levels and then onto university. During her first year she was offered a job as a runner for a TV/film production company, and so left university to pursue her new and exciting life. During her time as a runner she also got to do a ski season in France and since she had never cooked, or for that matter skied, she really was embarking on an adventure or what her mother called “one of the silliest ideas she has ever had!”
Katie’s next venture, at age 23 was moving to London to be a nanny for a fashion designer and photographers baby. Again, it was something she had never done and the challenge took her to New York, Milan, Paris, and the list goes on!
All that traveling clearly wasn’t enough for Katie as she packed her bags and flew out to Australia and New Zealand for two years. Katie’s jet-set lifestyle did meet some opposition from her mum though. Katie managed, with the help of her consultant, to persuade her mum that everything would be ok and at the end of the day it was her decision. She even had her annual check-ups while she was away.
A dream has come true for Katie. She is now working in the press office of a company specialising in organising around-the-world yacht races and also sails as a hobby.
"Sailing is an amazing sport and I'm so proud to be a part of spectactular events such as the Americas cup," she says.
Katie has tried to pack as much into her life as possible, and she’s doing rather well. Who else can say they have done all this by the age of 29?
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| |  ALL cells under the microscope
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