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.

Paul Phillips

Like many others diagnosed with leukaemia, Paul could easily explain away his symptoms. It came as quite a shock, then, when he was told his back pain and fatigue were all due to acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Here, he shares his story as part of our Spot Leukaemia campaign.

Esther Beswick

For Esther, her symptoms came on suddenly. Thankfully, her own quick-thinking and that of her GP meant she was diagnosed before it was too late. Now in remission from acute myeloid leukaemia, Esther is sharing her Spot Leukaemia story.

Kerry Sykes

For Kerry, it was an unusually heavy period that prompted her to seek medical advice, but she never suspected that it might be cancer. In remission from acute promyelocytic leukaemia, Kerry is sharing her Spot Leukaemia story.

Jayne Gibson

For Jayne Gibson, her GP had been keeping an eye on her blood counts for some time before she was diagnosed with essential thrombocythaemia, and later polycythaemia vera. Her story highlights the importance of an early diagnosis. Read on here.

Vivien Martin

When Vivien lost three stone in weight with no effort, she knew something was wrong, but her GP initially put it down as unexplained weight loss. Vivien pushed for tests, and as a result she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Here, she shares her Spot Leukaemia story.

Ruby Walvin

Ruby had many of the classic signs of leukaemia before diagnosis, but it was assumed she had anaemia and was sent on her way to recover. However, Ruby didn’t recover. Trusting her gut, she took matters into her own hands and visited a walk-in clinic where her symptoms were recognised for what they were. Now in remission from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Ruby is sharing her Spot Leukaemia story.

Ian Hayley

For Ian Hayley, it was a sudden, strong infection that convinced him to see his GP. Expecting to be told he’d picked up a bad virus, he was instead diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Read on for Ian’s Spot Leukaemia story.

Rian Harvey

Rian Harvey was just 14 years old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Following a long road to diagnosis, and a relapse just a year into his first remission, Rian has now thankfully been in remission since 2016, and he's on a mission to raise awareness of leukaemia.

Caroline Bewley

It took Caroline months of persistence to get her diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukaemia. She knew something was wrong, especially when she was told she had high platelets – something she’d experienced before from a previous diagnosis of melanoma. But still Caroline’s symptoms were brushed aside as IBS. Here, she shares her Spot Leukaemia story.

Alan Quarterman

Alan was 60 when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Despite being the exact age at which most patients are diagnosed, Alan’s lingering throat infection wasn’t seen as anything potentially serious. Here, he shares his story, and talks about how he now supports others diagnosed with leukaemia.

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