Will's Story

"fter weeks of thinking I was having a bad flare of my Crohns Disease suffering lack of energy, discolouration of the skin and blurred vision it was time for a trip to the BRI. Upon arrival I was rushed in for an Emergency Blood transfusion and soon after I felt like a spring chicken again.

The following day I was sent on my way only to receive a phone call asking me to come in for further tests in the Oncology unit.

On the 21st August 2019 I was given the worst news I have ever been given in my life to date, I was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukaemia. The conversation with the Dr was the worst thing I could ever experience, I mean I would never wish it upon anyone but it is the kind of conversation that you will never understand unless you get it yourself, that heart sinking feeling, the unknown. I spent most of the rest of that Wednesday inside my head, just thinking.

I never experienced so much of the unknown until I had Cancer, but after spending the day thinking about what could happen I stopped this was when I came back into the real world out of the world of deep thought. I said to myself, family and friends "no matter what happens I’m going to stay positive and always try to keep smiling”. The next few weeks were pretty normal and I continued to try and carry on as nothing had happened, until I was told the plan of my first chemotherapy cycle.

We’d like to thank everyone at the foundation for allowing me to spend my birthday weekend away."