During my early 50s, In March 2020 I was diagnosed with Chronic lymphatic leukaemia, this is often shorted to CLL.

This is the story of my journey with condition, how it changed my life, and impacted those closest to me.

Transcript

Before I begin, let’s  give a brief description of what Chronic lymphatic leukaemia actually is, I know that when I was first diagnosed I certainly need to look this up.

One of my first points of call was a dictionary. While this was possibly not the best place to start, it certainly does explain technically  what the condition is, even if it doesn’t explain what it actual means to me. This is what I read:

Chronic – an illness persisting for a long time, or constantly recurring.

lymphatic – the lymphatic system helps protect us from infection and disease. It is part of the body’s immune system. 

Leukaemia – is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukaemia cells. 

Now, I realise that sound scary, but what does it actually mean. In simple terms Chronic Lymphatic Leukaemia is a long term blood disorder which means the body’s immune system does not functions normally.

I can honestly say having read this, that my brian went into overdrive. So after some additional research, and before anyone start to panic, there is some good news.  Most people who have CLL do typically have a long life expectancy, and as long as they take some sensible precautions, and make a few modifications in their life style it is still possible to live a relatively normal life.

For those in the know, yes I do realise that this is a great simplification of what CLL actually is. However I do feel that this does give an initial introduction and it does covers the basics. For everyone else, if you are interested in find out more, I will include some links on my website and in the show notes. Of cause these will be a sub set of what is available, and there are many other good source of trusted medical advice and support that you may also wish to consult. 

Now I am sure that at least some of you may be wonder why I am doing this?

Well, it is my hope that by sharing my journey, that it may help other with CLL realise that they are not alone. I would also like to think that for people who know someone with the Condition that this may help them gain an insight into what that person may be going through and how they could be felling.

Remember, it helps to talk, but sometimes we don’t feel we can, or simply just don’t know what to say. Very often the hardest thing to do is just to start the conversation. By sharing this with you, it is my hope that it may help someone else open up, or at least workout what they want to say once they are ready to have the conversations.

Ok, I am not being total selfless. By documenting my journey it makes me step back and think about what is happening to me. This improves my understanding, which in-turn helps me cope.

So, before I begin, let’s set the scene.

• Firstly, I am not a doctor and I have no medical training. So that means this that is not a medical reference nor is it a self help guide.
• This is simply my journey, documented form my perspective, as the person with the CLL. while of cause I will endeavour to keep it accurate, there may be times when i am not totally successful.
• Just because something happens to me on my journey, it does not mean that it will happen to everyone with the condition, or it may happen to other people at a different time in their journey, and that it could also impact them in a different way. Let’s be honest we are all on our own and very unique personal journeys 
• While it is not my intention to cause any distress, or upset to anybody, it is inevitably that there may be parts of this, which some people could find difficult.
• And Finally, if I make a choice during my journey, this of cause may not be the correct choice for everyone with CLL, and I would always recommend for any medical condition that the patient make their own informed decision based on their own specific circumstances.