I had been having headaches for a week as well as getting light
headed. Being a male, I told myself to harden up, it's just a
headache. I didn't do anything about it until my partner dragged me
down to the doctors. We went in to see them and the doctors
couldn't see of find anything wrong with me. He said we
should do some blood tests to be safe.
So I had the blood test and an hour later the doctor rang me up
and said he wanted me to go in. He said for me to pack a bag
because I would be going to hospital.
I stayed the next 2 nights in Taranaki Base before flying down
to Palmerston North on Monday 16th March 09. I
didn't know it at the time but that was the day my life changed
forever. I met up with the doctors from the Oncology
Department and they took me straight in for a Bone Marrow
test. About an hour or so afterwards, the doctors came back
in and told me and my partner and family that I had ALL which is a
cancer of the blood.
They also told me that I had to spend the next 6 months down
there getting treatment and then another year and a half of extra
treatment after that.
It has been stressful on not only my partner but as well as my
family. I have been very fortunate to have a lot of support
not only from family but from my friends as well as the Cancer
Society and various other organisations but the biggest help for me
has been CanTeen. They have been amazing and I can't
thank them enough.
I still have a long road ahead of me and I know that they are
there to support me and if there is anything that I have learnt
from this is that life is valuable and if you have any health
problems, you need to get them checked by a doctor because life is
too important.