Derby dad wants more people to know symptoms of blood cancer
Half of us cannot name a single blood cancer symptom, research says
Last updated 1st Sep 2022
A family man from Derby is urging everyone to recognise symptoms of blood cancer, as new research shows more than half of adults in the UK cannot name one single symptom of the disease.
Simon Fanning, who's 49-years-old, lives in Derby with his wife and two children aged six and eight. He was diagnosed with a type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), in February this year.
"The path to my diagnosis is a scary story because I ignored the warning signs - so much so that I look back now and almost smile at some of the stuff I brushed off", says Simon.
A YougGov poll of 2,230 UK adults carried out last month has revealed that when people were asked to spontaneously list what they thought were common signs of blood cancer, more than half (55%) said they did not know of any.
A quarter (25%) said it would be somewhat or extremely unlikely they would consult a GP if they had any of the main symptoms associated with the disease - fatigue, bruising, swollen lymph nodes and night sweats.
Asked to list up to 10 types of cancers they were aware of, leukaemia and blood cancer were the 12th and 13th most commonly named in the survey.
Lymphoma came 21st and Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma 24th.
Only 2% had leukaemia as top of mind and just 1% said blood cancer was their greatest concern.
The research, commissioned by Blood Cancer UK to mark the beginning of Blood Cancer Awareness Month, warns the findings highlight an urgent need to raise public awareness of blood cancer.
Encouraging others to get checked
Blood Cancer UK fears people are confusing symptoms of blood cancer with Covid-19, and not getting checked.
Kate Keightley, head of support services at Blood Cancer UK, said:
"Sadly, symptoms such as night sweats and unexplained tiredness, weight loss and bruising can sometimes be dismissed or downplayed, with devastating results.
"We fear many people might also be confusing breathlessness, a fever and tiredness with Covid-19 and cases are being left undiagnosed.
Simon Fanning, who's from Derby, was diagnosed with a type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), in February this year, after ignoring the warning signs.
"My wife kept pointing out I was dropping to sleep mid-afternoons even with the kids running round. We put it down to working hard. I ignored it.
"Then a really violent vomiting episode which I chalked up to a bug; dragging myself through work, sweating at my desk wondering if I had diabetes and then a holiday in Tenerife where I had such bad stomach pain it felt like appendicitis, but I put down to overindulgence - dismissing it as I had the other signs."
Things came to a head last November when Simon was at a work conference in Paris and had to walk out.
"I was shaking, sweating profusely, had terrible stomach pain and then threw up for three hours straight. When I got home the symptoms hadn’t stopped so I took myself to A&E where, despite needing a wheelchair and projectile vomiting in front of staff, I was told that my issue wasn’t acute and sent home. A week later I was back again and this time had an X-ray that showed a tumour in my intestine."
Simon tells us that due to Covid-related delays, he couldn't be operated on until December. But upon waking up from his surgery, he was told that it wasn't a tumour after all, but rather a swelling in his intestine alongside what doctors described as "sticky" lymph nodes.
Biopsy results nearly nine weeks later revealed he had a type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma called Diffuse large B cell lymphoma and it was at stage four.
"From there things moved quickly and I’ve had a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy over the past six months. My midway scan came back with no inflamed lymph nodes which was good news but does put you in a weird headspace.
"You question everything - do I need that extra round of chemotherapy? Should I still carry on with the treatment? But because of where and how large the original tumour had been we decided to continue and I finished treatment in July.
"It’s been hard on my family - especially the two children. They’ve had holidays cancelled several times - including a much looked forward to trip to Disney - as well as seen their rough and tumble Dad spend weeks on end in hospital.
"When I started to lose my hair, my youngest daughter was really upset so we went and sat in the garden and I let her pull out the hair which was left which made her giggle."
Simon is still waiting to hear what happens next, but wants to share his story to help raise awareness of blood cancer symptoms, and encourage more people to get checked.
"At my final treatment they came with me to the hospital in Derby where they have a reflection stone in the wall of the unit.
"We stood as a family and touched the stone before my daughter and I rang the bell and the nurses gave us both a round of applause. As a family that day was a really important stepping stone."
"If hearing my story helps one person get a quicker diagnosis or makes them visit their GP when something doesn’t feel right it’s worth it.’
Blood Cancer UK provides information and support for anyone affected by blood cancer.
Recognising blood cancer symptoms
One in 19 people will be diagnosed with blood cancer, which include leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, at some point in their lives, and blood cancer kills more people every year in the UK than either breast or prostate cancer.
Blood cancer symptoms can be varied and often very vague.
People can have just one or many of these before diagnosis – and in some cases, none at all:
o Persistent and unexplained tiredness
o Unexplained weight loss
o Unexplained bruising and/or bleeding
o Persistent infection
o Breathlessness.
o Drenching night sweats
o Lumps or swellings in the neck, head, groin or stomach
o Bone/joint pain
Head of support services at Blood Cancer UK, Kate Keightley, explains why it's important to get checked early if you suffer any of these symptoms:
"At the moment, we know that too many people are being diagnosed late, which often reduces the chance of survival, so it is so vital people get symptoms checked out as soon as possible."
"If you have symptoms that cannot be explained and are persistent, you should urgently make an appointment with your GP. While it is unlikely to be anything serious, it’s so important to get checked out.’
Blood Cancer UK provides information and support for anyone affected by blood cancer.
To find out more about blood cancer and whether you should get checked, visit their website.