On Sunday 21st August WCC is hosting a charity cricket match in my name against an Indian touring team, in aid of 2 charities very close to my heart - Anthony Nolan and Teenage Cancer Trust, without who I would not have survived the last 2 1/2 years.

I joined Wokingham Cricket Club (WCC) in 2012 as an U12. I progressed through the age groups - was part of the U15 Berkshire champions’ squad – and moved into adult cricket. In 2017 I started at Birmingham University where I joined their cricket club and was a very active member - playing in their 3rd team and being a social secretary in my 2nd year.

In March 2020 aged 21 I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. An initial round of chemotherapy put me into remission. Being diagnosed just before Covid hit meant I only had visitors for the first week of treatment and then this was restricted to just my mum who had to move onto the ward with me. The genetic mutation causing the leukaemia meant that chemotherapy alone would not be an option and that I needed a stem cell transplant. Fortunately, a donor was found by the Anthony Nolan Charity and I had the stem cell transplant in July 2020. The transplant went well, and my recovery proceeded without any major complications - I even managed to play a little bit of cricket for WCC in the 2021 season.

Unfortunately, I relapsed in July 2021. Normally, after relapse within a year of transplant, there is no option for further treatment. However, because of my age and because I had got so close to the year mark I was offered further chemotherapy to hopefully put me back into remission and then another transplant if that was successful. The chance of success was low and if I wasn’t put back into remission the chemotherapy could shorten the time I had left. However, I chose the treatment as to do nothing was choosing to die which was not an option.

So, in August 2022 I went back into hospital, this time completely on my own, again due to Covid restrictions, not knowing whether I would actually come out again. I spent 5 weeks in isolation, but the good news was that it did put me back into remission. The hunt was then on for another donor – and again the Anthony Nolan Charity found me a donor. I had my second stem cell transplant in December and made it out of hospital just before Christmas.

I am now over 6 months post-transplant, my recovery has been tougher this time round as my body has been through so much over the last 2 ½ years, but at my last bone marrow assessment there was no evidence of disease. Obviously I am very mindful of what happened last year so my confidence in a long-term prognosis is still quite low.

Your kind donations will help both the Anthony Nolan Charity and specifically the Teenage Cancer Trust's Young Person's Unit at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham.. The aim of the Teenage Cancer Trust is to support all teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer through specialist units within hospitals and also specialist support staff. Anyone who has stayed in hospital for any length of time knows how difficult this can be so the aim of the TCT specialist units is to make them as un-hospital like as possible through colour schemes, kitchens, day rooms with gaming stations. I was fortunate to stay on one of these in Birmingham for a while (before Covid hit) and it was a very different experience to being on a normal adult ward, where I ended up having most of my treatment. I have also been supported by a specialist nurse for everything clinical and emotional and a youth support worker for all things social and emotional. Without both of these amazing ladies I really don’t know how I would have got through the last 2 ½ years.

Please can you keep the donations between the 2 charities as even as possible.