Marian’s fight against Leukemia

How the story began

Marian was feeling tired and more than a little out of sorts, so much so that she was at times unable to stand. This went on for about three months, so she decided that a visit to her doctor for a pick-me-up would be prudent. It was only after several visits, however, that he was able to diagnose an abscess on her back. After a period of treatment with antibiotics she was able to stand and walk again, however, there were some side effects – she developed a nasty rash and her chest hurt.

Both Marian and her partner, Derek, became increasingly concerned, to the point where one night the irritation and pain became too much to bear, and in desperation Derek took her to the out-of-hours clinic at Wrexham Maelor Hospital . Her symptom of a sore throat was a rare and potentially serious complication of tonsillitis, known as Quinsy  which led to Marian being admitted overnight.

Many tests followed to establish exactly what Marian’s condition was, and that’s when the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia  was made, and the devastating prognosis that she had just weeks to live.

The Journey

She was referred to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd  where she underwent a brutal regimen of chemotherapy and the start of several bone marrow samples taken from her hip.

By the end of September 2019, Marion’s condition was in remission and she was allowed home. By December, however, she was showing symptoms again and she attended Christie’s Hospital  in Manchester on New Year’s Eve only to be told that the cancer was back, but this time chemotherapy was not a considered course of treatment.

Instead, stem cell treatment  was suggested, and Marion agreed to this, undergoing the first for matching donor blood stem cells or bone marrow to people with blood cancer and blood transplant on 13th February 2020. She is thankful to the Anthony Nolan  charity which is responsible disorders.



New Treatment and hope

This treatment, however, came with some risks, in particular Graft Versus Host Disease  (GvHD). This is when the donor's T cells (the graft) view the patient's healthy cells (the host) as foreign, and attack and damage them. GvHD can be mild, moderate or severe. In some cases, it can be life-threatening.

In Marian’s case, she no longer has leukaemia, but due to the GvHD, her bone marrow function failed, her skin has permanent red blotches and she has become diabetic. She currently visits Christie’s Hospital once a week and treats her condition with steroid cream and 70 corticosteroid tablets a day, but these come with their own side-effects.

She now has a minor virus which would normally be easily treated, but because she now has a severely compromised immune system, her body has no way to fight it. An intravenous drip of antibiotics has been used, but it appears that when her lungs improve, her kidneys deteriorate and vice versa. Her care is now wholly palliative.

It’s a sad and very grave situation for Marian, her family and her friends, but she remains resolute and focused on forming good memories with them all.



The Racing ...

Marian and Derek are a popular presence in the Wirral 100 Motor Club’s paddock during race meetings, even more so since Derek got hooked on being a sidecar passenger during a charity challenge and now races regularly.

The club will now present what will be known as Marian’s Trophy in her honour to a deserving winner at all future Anglesey Grand events. A fitting tribute to an avid Wirral 100 race fan.

Marian’s wish is that people’s awareness will be raised by her plight, and that if anybody has any doubts or concerns about a condition they are experiencing, no matter how small or trivial, that they seek a medical opinion early! The sooner a cruel disease like cancer is diagnosed, the sooner it can be treated and the better the hope of a full recovery.

Of course, going through this extremely difficult time has been not only emotionally challenging for Marian and her family, but financially demanding too. The additional pressure of making the time that Marian has with them as comfortable as possible is not without cost, so please contribute to this GoFundMe page which has been set up with the intentions of easing this burden.

Please give as generously as you can afford.

Thank you