A WOMAN who thought she was suffering a long bout of Covid illness was shocked to discover she in fact had a life-threatening disease.
Sinead Hudson, 30, had a fever that wouldn’t go away after she tested positive on January 2.
She was on a break in Ibiza with her husband Rob, who had also tested positive for the bug, as they scouted what was supposed to be their new home.
Sinead, who was previously fit and healthy, said: “I was quite unwell – really weak and tired – but my partner wasn’t and we thought it just hits some people differently to others.
“I was coughing and had such a bad fever for a full two weeks and beyond.”
Although Sinead got a negative Covid test a few days after her symptoms started, she continued to feel unwell.
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She said: “I was taking paracetamol to bring down my fever but as soon as that wore off, it would spike again.
“By mid-January, I was being sick after dinner and really off my food.”
Still thinking it was just the effects of the virus, Sinead put off seeing anyone about her symptoms.
The turning point came around 21 January when Sinead woke up with a fever of 41C and she was delirious.
Rob insisted that they needed to go to A&E as he was worried Sinead had sepsis, and she was admitted to hospital in Ibiza where tests were carried out.
Sinead said: “I thought it was just an infection or long Covid and wanted them to just give me antibiotics so I could go home but they told me they needed to find out what the infection was.”
After four days, doctors decided to do a bone marrow biopsy because of her unexplained fever.
Two hours later, the doctor returned to tell her the result.
Sinead said: “She just said: ‘You have an acute leukaemia’.
“Everything just went white and my ears were ringing. It felt like my brain had stopped and I couldn’t take in anything she was saying to me.
“Then I just had this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to live. I can’t explain what that is like.”
Sinead booked the next flight home to the UK to be treated at Royal Berkshire Hospital near her home in Reading.
Her mum, dad and sister met her at the airport to take her straight to hospital while Rob gathered their belongings in Ibiza.
Sinead said: “I just closed my eyes and my sister was holding my hand because Rob was still not back.”
Sinead was told she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – which coincidentally was the same type her cancer had suffered 10 years prior.
It is a rare, diagnosed in some 790 people in the UK each year, but is the most common type of leukaemia in children.
The disease causes the bone marrow to release white blood cells before they are ready, making patients are more vulnerable to infections.
Sinead said: “Covid is my saving grace for bringing this to light… I think it potentially helped to catch things really early for me.”
A drop in red blood cells also causes symptoms of pale skin, tiredness, unusual bleeding, such as nosebleeds, a high temperature and a purple skin rash.
Sinead started chemotherapy but was still unable to see Rob because she was in isolation.
She said: “It was hard but the nurses with me were amazing. They cut my long blonde hair when that started to come out.”
Wanting to do something to keep busy and make a difference while she was going through chemo, Sinead decided to launch a social media campaign.
She wanted to raise awareness of charities that support those with blood cancer and raise money for the Adelaide ward where she was having treatment.
Her first post for Blood Cancer UK raised £6,000, encouraging her to set up a JustGiving page. Within 10 days, she had raised just under £10,00.
Sinead then turned to raising awareness of the sem cell register, which is a database of people who are willing to give their stem cells to people fighting a blood disorder.
Sinead said: “At the minute I am having chemotherapy and we don’t yet know if I will need to have a stem cell transplant but I wanted to spread the message for others who do.
“I asked people to sign up to either Anthony Nolan if they are under 30 or DKMS if they are over 30, then share a photo of their registration on their social media and nominate three other people to do the same
“It is so easy to sign up for the register – it’s just a swab of the cheek, which is something we are all used to doing after two years of Covid.
“The package comes in the post then you swab and send it back. You don’t have to go anywhere.
“Once you are on the register, you can be matched with anyone who needs a donor and in 90 per cent of cases, you can donate just like you are giving blood. It is not really invasive and doesn’t take much time.”
Sinead has been told she’s responded well to chemotherapy, but there’s still a long journey ahead and a transplant isn’t off the cards just yet.
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She is currently working with Leukaemia UK to continue raising awareness, as their ongoing research is also looking into how to develop kinder and more effective treatments for patients like her.
For more information visit the Leukaemia UK website. To sign up to be a stem cell donor, visit Anthony Nolan for those under 30 or DKMS for those over 30.
