Back in October 2023, my doctor referred me for a blood test as I was having nightmares. Little did I know that that simple test would lead to a cancer diagnosis.
The doctors sent me to get a blood test to check that my hormone levels and general health was okay and rule out some things that could be causing my sudden onset of nightmares. I was terrified of needles and took the day slow and as stress free as possible, I was so proud of myself for doing it, I went home and got back to work on my Taylor Swift concert jacket as a reward.
A few hours after having my test done, I got a call from the doctors. “Kiera, you need to go to the hospital now. Take a bag and take a friend”. Instantly I was worried and knew something wasn’t right and I was thinking the worst.
Me and my friend trekked up to the hospital from our university accommodation and waited until someone came to speak to me. “So your results Kiera, you’re anaemic but that’s not what we’re concerned about. You have a really high white blood cell count”. I knew that white blood cells were involved in keeping your body healthy, and you have more when you’re sick, and I assumed that it was COVID or something similar as they were so concerned.
“The normal rate of white blood cells should sit between 5 and 7, yours are at 300. It’s not an infection, it’s something else”. I knew then it was cancer but they wouldn’t tell me, they told me to call my parents up and try and sleep, and the doctors would talk to me the following day.
The day after, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia. Out of no where, was a cancer diagnosis, I was 20 years old in my final year of university, surely the tests were wrong?
They weren’t, it was confirmed through a bone marrow biopsy that I had the Philadelphia gene which causes the mass production of white blood cells, and leads to leukaemia.
I had no symptoms, to my knowledge. I was at university and working three jobs, so surely I would have known? There should have been signs? In hindsight, I had two symptoms; severe back ache, caused by so many white blood cells in my bone marrow that couldn’t escape and caused pressure, and bruising to my arms and legs.
At the time, they told me that if I had to choose a cancer, you would want to choose this one. Pop a chemo pill for the rest of your life and have an occasional blood test. It’s not something I would have wanted, I’m terrified of needles and struggled to swallow tablets, but I suppose they were right, this is a very manageable one and one that has barely affected my life.
I get exhausted, very quickly, and have lost some of the strength in my arms and legs. Some of my hair has thinned and come out, but it’s not noticeable. To me, this is the best case scenario, my oral chemotherapy hasn’t had too many side effects and the effects it has had, it’s manageable and for that I am thankful and realise I am very lucky.
A year on and as strange as it sounds, I wouldn’t change my diagnosis for the world. I have met so many incredible people, heard so many stories and done things I never thought I would ever do through a range of charities, this diagnosis has opened up a whole new world for me.
I finished my degree and graduated 9 months after my diagnosis. I am back home, with a full time job, seeing friends and family constantly, and feeling hopeful.
As scary as cancer is, and as horrible the chemotherapy and bone marrow biopsy was, I’d do it all again to have this experience. To someone who’s never had cancer it wouldn’t make sense but quite a few people I’ve spoken to have said the same thing.
Cancer is a scary and isolating thing but through charities I have met so many incredible people and expanded my world. For that I am so incredibly grateful.
Cancer is a scary word and a scary situation, but it’s important to realise that not all cancers mean death. I am proof that cancer doesn’t mean I will die and that we can live happy and full lives, and that is something that is important. Not all cancers mean death and not all stories end in tragedy. My story has a new chapter now, and while it’s not one I would have ever chosen, it’s one that I am grateful for.