"In 2024, I was unexpectedly diagnosed with leukaemia. I was 34. I had no symptoms (none!) and it came at the worst possible time, although there is never a good time. I am a musician and was one week away from flying to New Zealand to be in a show. I was extremely excited about the show and, to be organised, I thought I'd get a blood test to check my iron levels before I left the country for five weeks."
"Six hours after the blood test, I got a call from my doctor telling me that something was wrong. I was what's called neutropenic. In layman's terms it meant I had no immune system and I needed to go to hospital immediately. It made no sense. I had been in Savers, at my nieces' school fete and the pub the day before."
"It wasn't. After entering that hospital I wouldn't leave it again for six weeks. At around 7pm that night I was told I had cancer (who knew they have haematologists in emergency?). The diagnosis was utterly overwhelming. Although my family is amazing, they weren't close by that night. A friend had come for a few hours to help translate what the doctors were saying while I was in a state of shock."
"But I was alone in my hospital bed when I woke up around 3am and it all suddenly hit me. All I could think about was that not only was I not going to New Zealand, but I also had cancer, and it was going to kill me. It always seems to kill people in the movies I beg you writers to stop doing that. Lots of us live. As I was death spiralling, a nurse walked past and asked if I was OK."
In 2024 a 34-year-old musician received an unexpected leukaemia diagnosis after a routine blood test. No prior symptoms appeared, and the diagnosis arrived one week before an international trip for a show. A rapid drop in neutrophils left the immune system absent and required immediate hospital admission. Hospitalisation lasted six weeks while treatment and monitoring occurred. Fear and shock dominated early nights, including thoughts of imminent death and loss of planned opportunities. A nurse named Ben offered a crucial hug during a panic episode. The hug provided essential comfort. Treatment led to remission. The nurse's kindness remained memorable.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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