A teenager said she knew something wasn't quite right when she couldn't keep her eyes open on the train home from college.
Kathryn Taylor, 17, from Up Holland near Skelmersdale, just started her A-Levels at a fashion college in Liverpool when she began to feel unwell. She noticed a lump on the side of her neck, which doctors told her was tonsillitis, and another under her arm which she was keeping an eye on.
When getting the train home from college, she said she struggled to keep her eyes open and was sleeping a lot at home. On Sunday, September 19, just after Kathryn got out of the shower she collapsed in her bedroom.
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Kathryn told The ECHO : "My family heard a big thud from upstairs and my brother [Matthew] was the one who found me. My mum said I was as white as a ghost and I was out cold for two minutes.
"My mum took me to A&E thinking I had diabetes. They did blood tests and my blood sugars were all fine and they said my tests were fine and sent me home.
"We got a call back after we came home and they said they 'didn't know why' they let me go home as there were some numbers they did not like."
Kathryn and her mum, Suzanne, were told the blood levels looked like it could be a virus or leukaemia and they wanted to run some more tests to find out. On Tuesday, September 21 Kathryn received a call from the hospital with the devastating news she had cancer.
Kathryn, now 18, said: "When he rang back [the doctor] he said 'it's what we were thought, there will be a bed for you at The Christie tomorrow'. It was absolutely horrible, I was anxious, shocked and confused all times by 1000.
"I just remember sitting around the table trying to eat dinner and nobody knew what to say. We were a mess. I went from being a normal teenager celebrating my GCSEs, enjoying my prom, and looking forward to starting my dream college course to being diagnosed with leukaemia."
After a bonemarrow biopsy, doctors at The Christie confirmed Kathryn had acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive type of blood cancer. She had to drop out of college and has spent much of this last year undergoing rigorous treatment, including a stem cell transplant and numerous rounds of intensive chemotherapy.
She had to spend long periods in hospital for her treatment, including two six-week stays at The Christie in complete isolation due to the infection risk of her treatment. Much of last Christmas was taken up with hospital visits and treatment - so Kathryn is especially looking forward to this year’s festivities, free from treatment and weekly hospital visits.
Now eight months after her transplant, Kathryn is in a continued remission but still has regular appointments at The Christie for check-ups and close observation. She is slowly improving after her transplant but still struggles with the lasting side effects of treatment.
Kathryn said: “I don’t think people fully understand the impact treatment has on the patient and their family, during and even after treatment. My diagnosis has affected the whole family, it has been a hard time, but we have all come through it together as a family.
“We have been fortunate enough to receive the support we needed to move on from it all. I cannot fault the incredible support from our team at The Christie, and I don’t think I will ever be able to thank them enough.
"Despite all the struggles over the past year, the treatment went well, and I am now starting to get back to normal life.”
Kathryn lives with her mum Suzanne, stepdad Howard and nine-year-old brother, Matthew, who have all been a great source of support to her - as has her boyfriend, Josh, who has been constantly by her side throughout the treatment.
She said: “Getting back to ordinary life after such a serious illness has been challenging, but it feels good to be getting life back on track, celebrating how far I have come and picking back up where I left off, whilst having learnt some invaluable lessons along the way. Despite all the negatives that came with my diagnosis, I will be forever grateful for the new mindset it has given me.
"I can now live my life to the fullest, more determined than ever.”
Recently, Kathryn was able to start her A Levels at St John Rigby College in Wigan after having to delay them a year due to her illness. She has been able to start the courses she had hoped for, business and law, and hopes to become a lawyer or an accountant in future.
Kathryn said: “I am very grateful for the support and treatment I have received at The Christie over the past year. It has been an incredibly tough year, but I believe that I am a better person for it. I now aim to live life without any regrets, surrounded by my friends and family. What better time to do that than at Christmas?
“Last Christmas was spent feeling tired from my treatment and anxious about what was to come. We were at the hospital three days a week for check-ups, and we had no idea at what point I would have to go back into hospital for my transplant.
"So, Christmas was pretty much cancelled. This year we intend to celebrate as a family, and I’m really looking forward to it. Christmas is going to be very special this year.”
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