A dad of three was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) earlier this year after, at first, thinking he was suffering from a sore throat. Gwyn Warner, 35, from Crosskeys, worked as a baker in a supermarket before coming down with what he initially thought was a throat infection over the New Year period.
Since his diagnosis in February, Gwyn spent a month and four days in the hospital where he had to fight off an infection before he was able to start his first round of chemotherapy. He has a tough seven months of treatment ahead and is worried about how his family will cope financially after his sick pay runs out in April and left with statutory pay, which he claims “is nothing more than £100 a week.”
Gwyn shared the frustration of his situation, as he believes he could have been diagnosed sooner if GPS weren't "overworked and understaffed." Since January, Gwyn visited his local GP three times and would have been on antibiotics for nearly a month if he hadn't driven himself to A&E on February 8.
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He explained: “My symptoms didn’t match my diagnosis, but at the beginning of January, I had a sore throat which I didn’t think much of at the time, but it led to my lymph nodes swelling up. I thought something wasn’t right, so I contacted my GP.
“The issue is my GP is so overwhelmed with patients and calls that trying to get an actual face-to-face was hard. I think the first time I called them, I tried maybe 60 times before I could get through to somebody.”
At Gwyn’s first appointment, he claims he was prescribed penicillin for 10 days, but the infection still did not clear and turned into tonsillitis. So he returned and was prescribed another round of antibiotics for another five days. At this point, Gwyn thought he might have Strep A or glandular fever.
Gwyn then began to develop sores in his mouth, fevers “and shaking uncontrollably,” even while being bundled up with the heating on. Gwyn added: “I contacted my doctor again, and I was a bit frustrated because you would think after two rounds of antibiotics and the infection not shifting, you’d think you’d be having bloods taken.”
After his third trip to the GP, Gwyn was given another round of antibiotics to last 10 days, but half way through the course, he realised something wasn’t right and drove himself to The Grange Hospital. He said: “I had great service there and they treated me and found it out so fast. I went in there thinking it was just a sore throat and they’d send me home - I ended up staying in hospital for over a month.”
At The Grange University Hospital, Gwyn had a blood test on February 8, which revealed that his white blood cell count was high and by February 9, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). He said: “When I found out I thought, am I going to die? How long do I have left? All the negatives were going through my head and I was frustrated as well as why didn’t my GP pick up on this?” He added that he didn't blame the GP, but believes more funding needs to be put into the NHS so cases like his don't go undiagnosed, as his case "could have been found out earlier."
A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We’re sorry for Mr Warner’s experience and send our very best wishes to him and his family at this difficult time.
“Our GP Practices are under significant pressure at the moment and are working extremely hard to meet this increased demand. In order to treat their patients as efficiently as possible, our GPs offer a mixture of telephone, video and face-to-face appointments according to an assessment of the patient’s particular needs.
“Unfortunately, difficulties in recruiting staff are putting further strain on our Practices. To address this, we continue to actively recruit additional staff. We encourage Mr Warner to contact us directly should he wish to discuss the care he has received with us.”
After the diagnosis, Gwyn was transported to the University Hospital of Wales, where he spent over a month being treated. He said: “My mouth was covered in sores so I could barely eat anything but soup and custard and weight was dropping off me - I think I lost three and a half stones in total.”
He added that a financial strain also came with his diagnosis. He said: “I’m the main breadwinner and I was sitting there thinking, if I have to go through all this treatment, where's the money going to come from? I get sick pay with work but I only get so much and then it runs out, and then I’m down to statutory, which is nothing more than £100 a week. I just kept thinking how am I going to support my wife and kids if I can’t put food on the table, pay my bills, what’s going to happen?
He said that being in this situation has been “demoralising” as he has worked all his life and now will have to rely on benefits. He added: “But I’m at the point now, where else am I going to get the money from?” Gwyn has also contemplated going back to work during his treatment.
To help ease some of his financial pressures, his auntie Michelle created a GoFundMePage with a target of reaching £1,000, which they have already overpassed. In the post, she said: "Gwyn has always provided the best support to his young family, and we wish to support him during these difficult times, emotionally and financially." To donate or find out more, click here.
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