Martin from St Helens ended up taking himself to A&E after other medical professionals couldn’t say what was wrong with him
Martin from St Helens ended up taking himself to A&E after other medical professionals couldn’t say what was wrong with him
A Merseyside dad-of-two who was initially told to “just take vitamins” for his fatigue was actually diagnosed with a deadly blood cancer. Martin Anderton, from St Helens, faced an alarming turn of events when he started to suffer from extreme tiredness, little knowing it would lead to a life-threatening diagnosis.
Having not visited the GP for 20 years due to his “so healthy” lifestyle, his persistent fatigue compelled him to seek medical advice at the age of 42. Along with the exhaustion, Martin was also dealing with night sweats, mouth ulcers, and weight loss.
Speaking of his ordeal, Martin said: “I went to my GP, but and they told me I needed to re-register because I hadn’t been in 20 years. I was normally just so healthy that I hadn’t needed to go.”
Despite feeling very unwell, the engineering manager was offered an appointment in a few days’ time. Choosing not to wait, he headed to an NHS walk-in centre where he was simply advised to take vitamins.
But the symptoms persisted, prompting Martin to visit A&E, which led to a blood test identifying abnormalities in his white blood cells. The now 48-year-old was then diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Martin recounted: “The haematologist said to me, ‘You’re very poorly, Martin,” and I said, ‘Well I don’t feel it’ because I really didn’t feel seriously ill at the time.
“He told me I had a 30 per cent chance of surviving the initial chemotherapy. It was all a bit of a blur, but I figured that 30 per cent was better than nothing, so I decided to fight and stay positive.”
Martin’s treatment commenced straight away, involving several rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He spent three and a half months in hospital, with his wife Jacqueline and sons Craig and Lee frequently visiting to lift his spirits.
Eventually, he received the news that the treatment had worked, and he was in remission. However, he would require a stem cell transplant to increase his chances of preventing a relapse.
In June 2019, Martin underwent a transplant from an anonymous donor at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, for which he remains profoundly thankful. “I’ve got a tattoo of a cannula on my arm with my transplant date in Roman numerals,” Martin added.
“I also left a square for the donor’s name, but I never found out who it was, so I’ve just put a question mark in the box. But of course, I think of him often and am so grateful.”
After the transplant, Martin was able to return home, only coming back twice for treatment for an infection and painful mouth ulcers. Despite losing his job, another challenge he faced, he is now employed full-time with a new employer, albeit still managing the side effects of his treatment.
“Since leukaemia, I am not able to do the things I used to love like DIY,” he shared. “I get tired very easily and have lots of issues with my back, which I put down to the amount of bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures I had. I just have to manage and adapt to the pain, but I am so grateful to be here.”
A staggering 37 per cent of all leukaemia cases are diagnosed in A&E, above the average of 21 per cent for other types of cancer. This delay in diagnosis can result in limited treatment options and a lower survival rate.
Currently, there are 60,000 individuals living with leukaemia in the UK, and tragically, half will not survive beyond five years. The country sees 28 new leukaemia diagnoses every single day.
The symptoms of leukaemia are diverse and often subtle, leading to potential oversight or misdiagnosis. Recognising the warning signs is therefore crucial.
The most common symptoms include extreme fatigue, bruising, unusual bleeding, and repeated infections. To raise public knowledge about these symptoms, charities Leukaemia UK and Leukaemia Care have collaborated on the #SPOTLeukaemia campaign. For more details, visit spotleukaemia.org.uk.
Fiona Hazell, CEO of Leukaemia UK, remarked: “Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia until they or someone they know is diagnosed, which is why we are so grateful to Martin for telling his story to help us raise awareness of what to look out for. “Early diagnosis saves lives, so we want to make sure more people are aware of the signs and symptoms, and to contact their GP to ask for a blood test if they’re experiencing them. Together, we can stop leukaemia from devastating so many lives.
“Colin Dyer, CEO at Leukaemia Care, also commented: “Martin’s story is a powerful reminder of why raising awareness of leukaemia symptoms is so critical. Too often, people experiencing symptoms like extreme fatigue and unexplained bruising are dismissed or misdiagnosed, leading to dangerous delays in diagnosis.
