Inspirational stories

These inspirational stories are personal accounts of the experiences of patients, carers or fundraisers - they all have a story to tell about their experience with a blood cancer.

Anton Brcar

Anton Brcar was 47 when he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Now 53, Anton tells us about his experience of the Watch and Wait period and what he would change to improve it, as well as the challenges he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eileen

Eileen, now 73 years old, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) at 67 years old after a routine blood test. Watch and Wait is not a name Eileen chooses to call active monitoring, but rather refer to it as ‘Watch and Live.’ Read more about Eileen by clicking on her name.

Martin Vessey

Martin Vessey was 61 when he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Now 65, Martin is sharing his experience of Watch and Wait and what he would improve about the sometimes anxiety-inducing period.

Margaret

Margaret Miller was 62 years old when she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Now 70, she reveals the stress of being recognised as a clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) leukaemia patient during the pandemic, and how CLL patients are often the ‘forgotten cohort.’

Dany

Dany, now 59, was just 55 when she was experiencing extreme fatigue and night sweats. Dany put it down to long working hours but eventually went to see her GP where she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and was put onto Watch and Wait. Here, Dany shares her experience of life since.

Emma Richards

Emma Richards was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in January 2013 at the age of 33. Here, she tells us her story and how she still has so much to live for.

Janine Black

Janine was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) just two days before her 55th birthday. She didn’t know then that she would spend her birthday, Christmas, and New Years in the hospital where she previously worked. Here, Janine tells her story.

Michael Rose

In the summer of 2020, Michael began experiencing rapid weight loss, fatigue, and breathlessness. As Michael was expecting a new-born amidst a pandemic, he put these symptoms down to stress. It was his blurry vision during a family holiday that took him to the opticians and eventually led to his chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) diagnosis. Here, Michael tells his story.

Sian Lewin

Sian Lewin was 52 when she was diagnosed with hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) after feeling fatigued and out of breath. She turned to writing as an escape during her recovery in 2012 and has now published four children’s books. Sian tells us more...

Bailey Patrick

Bailey might seem like a familiar face as he has starred in shows such as London Kills and EastEnders, and more recently in the drama Bridgeton, however it was important to Bailey to share his childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) diagnosis story with others to "help raise awareness and change people's lives..."

1 … 9 10 11 12 13 … 31