Introduction

On the 11th of January, 2025 everything changed for me.

I suddenly went from living my normal life to becoming an in-patient on a Haemotology ward with an early diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. As I write this, I am ten days into that journey, currently attached to my intravenous chemotherapy medication.

From the moment of my admittance I wanted to write about it. I asked my Mum to bring me a notebook and Letters to Cyril began. This is a disclaimer that I have nothing against Cyril, or anyone who goes by that name. I like the alliteration, it sounds none-threatening and it evokes memories of the 80's cartoon series 'The Raccoons'. Cyril is the name of my cancer and these are my letters to him.

The letters were initially thoughts and feelings that became more structured as time passed and I started to make sense of what was going on. This Blog will expand on that, help me to make sense of it all and give some structure. 

As I've received a more specific diagnosis of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, I've received a bit more clarity on what's happening and what lies ahead. I'm under no illusions about the severity of my condition, the ongoing risks and potential complications. But I am also aware APL is very treatable and I can see a future where I make a full recovery.

I've become increasingly positive as time has passed but still face the negative feelings and overwhelming emotions from time to time. That is all part of the process and I won't shy away from that.

I'll go into more detail about what's happened lately, in separate posts. I'll be covering my time in hospital and what was going on immediately before. I also want to talk about my background, other difficulties that I've faced in life and how that's helped equip me to deal with this new challenge.

It's become my mantra that "something good will come of all this" and I hope I will be able to pay forward some of the incredible kindness I have received from the army of people I didn't realise I had in my corner. It's also a way to keep those wonderful people updated on my progress.

If I can inspire one or two people to feel more positive when things are getting pretty shit in life, then even better.