Can’t believe I’ve made it to 24 🎂 Birthdays can undoubtedly be hard — so many mixed emotions and complex feelings, but I’m so grateful for all of the people I have in my life. Thanks for being here 🤍

Every year, millions of people are affected by cancer, but early detection can make all the difference. This World Health Day, join the movement for good health by getting screened for cancer. By taking this step, you not only invest in your own health, but also make a positive impact on the health of your community and the world. Screening for cancer is the first step towards early detection, which can lead to more effective treatment options and better outcomes.

Apart from the obvious horror of the treatment, side effects and ongoing worry, we faced the dilemma of whether we would be able to have more children in the future. My husband’s fertility was discussed, and we were advised to freeze some sperm prior to the start of treatment. Our lives were suddenly catapulted from being a happy new family of three, to what seemed like an endless nightmare of ‘not knowing’ and ‘what ifs’.” We were brand-new parents when they received the devastating news that he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia🩸 Thankfully, he achieved remission, and the couple believed that life was back to normal. Then, 20 years after his diagnosis, i was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

February is Rare Disease Awareness Month! 🤍 I wanted to share the biggest things that I wish I knew when I was first diagnosed with a rare disease in hopes it can help others who are new to the journey! ⬇️ 🌸 Educate yourself and learn as much as you can about your condition 🌸 Do not be afraid to advocate for yourself 🌸 You will often have to educate others, even healthcare professionals, about your condition 🌸 Your healthcare team will involve multiple doctors 🌸 Learning to rest and how to accommodate is crucial 🌸 Seek help for your mental health 🌸 Treatments are not one size fits all and are often trial and error 🌸 Reach out to others who are going through the same thing you are - you are not alone!

I'm a 43 year old woman fighting Glioblastoma diagnosed in 2018 and was only given 18 months to live. I'm almost 5 years out and still fighting every single day. And so proud but there are days that I scroll through old photos and just want to cry and feel sorry for myself. It might sound petty but it's hard to look in the mirror and see myself now, not feeling attractive or even much less like a woman anymore. I try to tell myself every day how blessed I am to even still be alive and how lucky I am to have a loving husband and supportive family but it's still hard to feel like I'm worth it.

Carers are the unsung heroes of blood cancer care ❤ Here at Leukaemia Care, we support anyone affected by the diagnosis of a blood cancer, not just patients. However, often family and friends aren’t aware that support is available to them, especially if they also care for their loved one with blood cancer. This Carers Rights day we want to make sure that carers know that they are not alone.

In life, there is no delete button. Our life experiences shape us, for better or for worse. But over time, we can learn to reduce and mitigate the impact of our traumas. Better still, we can use our difference to our advantage 🙌 And feel grateful to be able to empathise with others affected in a similar way!

The rest of the warrior on my return yesterday after my last chemo the hug of my loves! Here is the past chemo stage it was a difficult marathon but what I remember is that our body cashes in even when we have more strength than we are exhausted we have reserve in us because life is what is more beautiful! I am very lucky to be surrounded by so many people, it gives me crazy energy to move forward step by step, thanks to my family, my friends, my doctors, my physio, the nurses, the taxis, my colleagues...without you and your support, nothing would be the same. Now I have 5 weeks of rest before attacking the marathon of radiotherapy with 6 weeks of rays but it will be different!

My friend just had her last chemo session 😍😍 I think this is a good indication, her doctor said she's probably fully healed but they need to redo the test to double check