My story

As many of you will know, since 2014 I have been fighting Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Initial results from treatment looked positive, however in 2015 I relapsed, and had to undergo further chemo and eventually a demanding Stem Cell Transplant, on 20 October 2015. I thankfully remain in remission as of the date of writing.

Walking 12 miles is not quite on the scale of climbing a mountain or crossing a desert, nor even of doing 40+ miles across Dartmoor in a day as I did in my youth. It is however a significant challenge for me, given that in November I could barely walk across the room. To be joined by all my family, from age 7 upwards will be a great thing and a celebration of our perseverance.

So - why Bloodwise?

Early on in my treatment I learnt just how poor outlooks can be for many blood cancer patients. They collectively are the third biggest cause of cancer deaths, killing more people than breast or prostate cancer, which are themselves major killers. Better, kinder treatments are needed, both to improve survival rates and extend and improve quality of life for those who cannot yet be cured. As part of my first round of treatment I took part in a trial - unfortunately it did not work for me, but has hopefully added to the knowledge base.

Bloodwise have been working to beat blood cancer since 1960. Since then they have raised and invested more than £500 million into research, with £90 million currently invested in projects. At the time the charity was set up, only 10% of children with a type of leukaemia (ALL)survived. That figure has now been reversed so that 90% of children with ALL now survive. More needs to and can be done, both for other types of blood cancers, and people of all ages.

I am doing what I can to help Bloodwise on this, as the research carried out before has undoubtedly helped to save my life and has meant my kids have still got a Dad. I have however seen others, many young, who have not been so lucky. If you can help it would be really appreciated.

Thank you,

Brett, Bushra, Omar, Isra, and Sam

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