As many of you already know, in 2022, I was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinaemia. It’s a funny old disease, slow growing yet incurable, with a whole range of symptoms which for me included aggressive anaemia, kidney involvement and chronic fatigue.

I consider myself very fortunate so far, I was treated very successfully in 2023. For the moment, I am in a period of Watch and Wait - my disease is sleeping, it will recur, and, when it does, it will be treated again. Until then, I lead a pretty much normal existence doing all the things I enjoy with regular blood tests to monitor the situation.

Living with a rare disease can be a very lonely and frightening place, particularly when first diagnosed - most people have never heard of it (let alone, they can’t pronounce it!), finding people you can relate to, or, sometimes even a specialist who really understands your symptoms can be a real challenge.

WMUK is the only organisation that provides specialised advice and support to WM patients and its dedicated nurse-led support line has been a godsend to me and many others when symptoms have been strange and I have needed a shoulder to lean on or advice to point me in the right direction.

For 30 days from 17 May 2026, I am going to be doing my bit and walking a minimum of 10000 steps each day to raise funds for the support line. By supporting me, you'll be ensuring that people living with WM and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma can access expert advice and information so that they can live well with WM and LPL. Thank you for all your support.