In June 2012 my world was rocked when my Mum was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.  It came as a real shock to me, my family and friends as she's always been so healthy and active! Nevertheless, once she came to terms with the illness my Mum saw it as a challenge that she would have to overcome.  So the mission to get Mum better was on.......

Mum was admitted into hospital and onto a course of treatment which involved mainly Chemotherapy.  Initially this consisted of 5 blocks of treatment lasting from July to December 2012. Unfortunately, at the end of this block my Mum was given more bad news from the doctors that the Chemotherapy hadn’t been effective... The doctors also decided that Mum’s only chance was if she underwent a Bone Marrow Transplant. Obviously this doesn’t just happen overnight and it can take up to 6 months to find a donor.  There are times when matching Bone Marrow for the patient cannot be found and this can prove fatal! So, with all of this in mind, the race was on to find a Bone Marrow Donor for Mum and with no more treatment available to her, she was eventually let out of hospital after 6 long months of tests/treatment at 4pm on Christmas Eve! Certainly, this will remain a Christmas to remember!

The New Year brought some good news and Mum was given a life line and offered the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial with a new drug Blinatumomab... But still no news of a successful donor match!

The trial carried with it some significant risks.  However these were risks that my parents thought were worth taking.  The risks were mainly because the trial drug wasn't tried and tested.  However with a lot of faith, a big helping of trust coupled with good luck, my Mum enrolled and signed up for the trial. Mum conducted 2 cycles of the treatment, each of 6 weeks duration. By taking part in the trial she was able to undertake a lifestyle at home rather than in hospital, albeit a little restricted, as the trial drug was much less intrusive than Chemotherapy. After both cycles my Mum was considered to be in remission. It had worked and much to our relief, the cancer cells were under control. During her treatment on the trial drug my Mum received more good news... They had found her a donor and the process of the Bone Marrow Transplant took place in June 2013

Mum had to go through the process of a Bone Marrow Transplant as, without it, the cancer cells would just keep on coming back.  Blinatumomab had got Mum to the point where the cancer cells were under control and manageable and it was safe enough to start the process of the Bone Marrow Transplant.   Without access to the clinical trial the road for my Mum would have been much more difficult and potentially fatal for her. This was great news for us all, even though my Mum still had a long way to go before she could say she had beaten the Cancer.

To start the Bone Marrow Transplant she had to spend 6 weeks in isolation in hospital and was only allowed 2 separate visitors for the whole time.  Within this time they had to strip away my Mum’s existing bone marrow by a series of treatments. But again Mum beat the odds and got through it.  The main risk from the transplant was GVHD (Graft Versus Host Disease).  This is where the new bone marrow from the donor wants to reject Mum’s Main Organs.  Fortunately, there weren’t any major reactions and after another couple of months in hospital building my Mum back up to strength, she was let home to recover further. At 100 days from the transplant the doctors did a bone marrow test to see if the Leukaemia had been eradicated... We got the results back and again I felt like my world had been turned upside down.  Just as everything was looking up, the test showed that Mum still had Leukaemia! The results showed she still had some refractory cells (cells that are not responding to treatment), in her system.  Unfortunately the new bone marrow wasn't strong enough to attack the refractory cells. So we dusted ourselves off, picked Mum back up and remained positive as a family that we would see this through. Mum went back into hospital again on another course of treatment, but unfortunately unable to go back onto the Blinatumomab - (these trials really are so hard to get onto, which is why it is so important that I raise as much as I can to enable people to receive the treatment they need). After her treatment ended to try and eradicate the refractory cells she was given a fresh set of mature cells that fortunately were strong enough and mature enough to attack any further cells. 

Mum was still fighting 18 Months on from being diagnosed.  This is a long time and in this time the amount of money spent on treatments and tests etc. has to be covered by someone....

This got me thinking.  With that in my mind, I decided that I wanted to raise money for the research and care of people with Leukaemia and also to raise awareness about what it takes to treat such an illness.  I wanted to do my bit so that more people could have access to new drugs or clinical trials. Currently only 6% of Blood Cancer patients have access to clinical trials, which is a really low figure.  For some patients, as in my Mum’s case, the Clinical Trial is sometimes the last option.  If my Mum hadn’t been in that 6% she may not be with us today.

I then had to think of a way of raising money for the charity.  Being a GB swimmer, swimming as always been a massive part of my life as well as my family’s.   With Mum having played a massive part in getting me to the position that I am in today, I thought it would be fitting if the event I organised was related to swimming. I have always had big dreams and love a challenge and with this I was no different.  I made the decision that I wanted to break a Guinness World Record (100 x 100 relay) in aid of charity in particular Leukaemia and Lymphoma research.

The Record attempt took place on the 1st of February 2014 at Ponds Forge, Sheffield. The challenge itself involved a relay team of 100 different swimmers, each swimming 100m (that's 4 lengths of your local pool of 25m). The Record stood at 1hour 37mins 53secs, which is an average of 58.7 seconds per swimmer. 

The day was a huge success with the Swim4Leukaemia team breaking the Guinness World Record by over 8 minutes and finishing in a new Record time of 1 hour, 29 minutes, 3.78 seconds, whilst raising £25,000 for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research in the process.

The record attempting team was made up of both past and present GB international swimmers, GB Olympians, along with National standard club swimmers.  There was a large contingent of swimmers from the City of Sheffield Swim Squad, where I was based, and other clubs around the country, as well as individuals who are close to me in my life.  I especially wanted the record to have a community feel to it and that of people coming together for a great cause. Within the team there were Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Medalists.

After this great day my Mum was enjoying life in Remission from Leukaemia, building herself back up to strength and making plans for the future - the main one being to renovate and extend our family home.. Exciting times ahead! 

Unfortunately, another bombshell was only around the corner.  After a dip in health in December 2014, my Mum undertook some tests at the brilliant Christies Hospital in Manchester only to be told 2 days before Christmas that the cancer had returned and this time in the Spinal Fluid…. Devastating.  Just as things were on the up for my Mum and our family, she had been dealt another cruel blow.  Nonetheless, and a true test of my Mum’s character and resilience, she vowed to again beat it! 

The doctors were not so optimistic about my Mum’s future since her re-diagnosis and prepared us all for the possibility that my Mum may not make it through the coming months if Chemotherapy was not as successful as it had been back in June 2012.   Following some intense treatment, great news, Mum was responding to the Chemotherapy.  The Cancer cells were reducing over the weeks, much to everyone’s relief, right down to the point where the cell count reached the big 0!!! My Mum had done it again; she had beaten the odds, what a woman! 

In April 2015 we were dealt the cruelest of blows ever, the Leukaemia had again returned and this time back into the blood.  The doctors gave my Mum the devastating news that she could not be cured from the Leukaemia, as its cells were too aggressive. Even through this, my Mum remained positive that she would enjoy the remaining time she had left with her loving husband, close family and friends and her two boys.

The doctors have managed to stabilise her and the Leukaemia, after some intense Chemotherapy.  In consultation with my Mum, the doctors have made the decision to reduce treatment to allow her to maintain a better quality of life for what time she may have remaining.  Unfortunately the doctors expect the Leukaemia to appear again and when it does appear, they have said that we need to prepare ourselves as a family for the worst. 

Looking back when I was organising Swim4Leukaemia for Mum and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, I set myself a target of massively raising awareness for the charity and also raising £100,000. I would love to hit that target for my Mum and the charity and have been thinking long and hard about how I can do just that. I have come up with the idea of a Selfie Campaign, whereby people take a selfie of themselves holding hands in a show of support and togetherness for the charity and to help #BeatBloodCancerTogether.

I would love for this to go worldwide and raise a great deal of money and awareness for a fantastic charity that has helped my Mum fight this terrible illness for so long.  My hope is that one day, someone, somewhere, will find a way to cure this illness so that families across the world don't have to go through the pain and suffering of seeing a loved one go through what I have seen my Mum go through.

How to get involved.

1 - Take a selfie with yourself and someone else whilst holding hands and holding your hands up  in the selfie, the holding of hands is to symbolize 'together' and also a show of support and strength! 

2 - Upload it to as Many social media outlets as you can :) 

3 - Nominate 3 others to take part & help #beatbloodcancertogether 

4 - Donate via the text donation! 

With your donations you will be helping to save the lives of patients with blood cancer and give them access to life saving Clinical Trials and new drugs. This, along with putting money into the research projects which help find and develop new drugs such as Blinatumomab. Without the clinical trial there is a possibility that my Mum wouldn't be with us today. I would like us to increase the amount of people who get access to clinical trials, thus giving them another chance. Let’s help get that 6% higher in the hope that we can help save people's lives.  TOGETHER, we can make a difference!!!

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