In June 2020 as if not being able to see our families properly during the pandemic wasn't bad enough, after just over a week of feeling off and developing some odd issues we didn't really correlate e.g. easy bruising, my Dad wasn't up to getting out of bed. NHS 111 sent an ambulance and he was admitted to hospital with a platelet count so low the junior doctor was going to send him home thinking it was a mistake by the lab, good job the consultant double checked!

It turned out to be far more serious than any of us expected, it was APL Leukaemia - which in 1957 had a median survival time of less than a week.

These days thanks to the amazing advances in medicine it's referred to as the most deadly, but most curable form, and not only that but the treatment  my Dad received (which was only approved for use in the UK in 2018) takes far less time and is much less toxic than what came before.

I find it hard to believe my Dad doesn't even have a single tablet to take now!

About Blood Cancer UK: 

We're a community dedicated to beating blood cancer. We do this by funding research and supporting those affected. Since 1960, we've invested over £500 million in blood cancer research, transforming treatments and saving lives. Right now, our community is funding 360 researchers and staff across the UK who are searching for the next breakthrough. The day we will beat blood cancer is now in sight and the researchers are determined to finish the job.