How it all started...

I got diagnosed with CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKAEMIA on the 26th September 2008 (a day which will always stay with me). I received a phone call from my GP who told me over the phone that i had cancer! I am still disgusted that i was diagnosed over the phone. I actually misheard what the Doctor said as well cos as you can imagine i went in to shock and i thought he diagnosed me with mild leukaemia (this still makes me laugh as there is no such thing as mild leukaemia). He said not to worry about dying and to go to Pinderfields (wakefield hospital) first thing in the morning to see Dr Chapple.
My Mum was crying before me when i got off the phone and all i could think was "shit i'm going to die!".
I had made plans to go out that night so that is exactly what i did, and tried to block the thought of cancer out with a few JD's and coke. I just wanted to deal with this my own way so i got drunk before it would all become clear the next day.
It still didn't seem any clearer the next day, but i did feel slighty relieved that i now knew why i had being feeling so ill the last 6 months.
My symptoms

• Pale skin
• Bone aches
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Night sweats
• Enlarged spleen

These symptoms are very common in CML. My spleen was taking up half of my stomach at the time of diagnosis, which explains why i couldn't eat.

I will go on to explain my diagnosis and treatments further in the next blog but i just want to explain why i am doing these blogs first of all. I have a rare type of Leukaemia, that is rare in my age group, and that rarely needs a transplant because there are now wonder drugs available to treat it. Alas, I have a rare bone marrow mutation which means that I will not respond to any of these drugs. So a transplant is my only chance of survival. Most patients are 40 and over and take a tablet everyday for the rest of their lives, so i like to think of myself as a rare case as i like to be awkward lol. I hope that if i get enough followers and publicity that i may even get a mention on Look North or in The News of the World, because my aim is to get more bone marrow donors because without them i would have no hope and this blog wouldnt last long. Secondly, I want, like Adrian Sudbury (who inspired me to write this blog), all sixth formers to recieve a talk about bone marrow.