Blood Cancer UK
Beating blood cancer and giving back
On Friday 24th of November 2017, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. I was 29 years old, and had always been fit and healthy - the NHS didn’t even have any blood tests on file for me.
Overall, I went through three rounds of chemotherapy, four days of total body radiation, and a stem cell transplant. I was incredibly fortunate to have a 100% stem cell match in my brother Jamie, and received his stem cells on the 12th of April 2018.
Throughout my treatment and recovery, art was a genuine therapy for me; whether it took my mind off the physical or emotional feelings I was struggling with, motivated me to think of the future, or acted as a mechanism through which to connect with friends, family and followers online.
‘Oldmangrey x Bloodwise’
Almost eleven months after my initial diagnosis, October 2018 and the annual Inktober event approached (created by the talented artist Jake Parker). I decided to use the drawing-a-day challenge to create a montage of images that reflected some part of my blood cancer journey. The daily breakdown is shown above, with the final piece ‘Creativity Conquers Cancer’ at the very top of this page.
I created prints of this final piece and sold these as a fundraiser for the charity Blood Cancer UK (or Bloodwise as they were known at the time). I also donated a copy of the print to the Hematology ward at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh where I received my initial diagnosis and treatment, and the Beatson in Glasgow where I received my final treatment and stem cell transplant. I’d love to think that future in-patients can take some hope or inspiration from the illustrations and descriptors in the images, while receiving their treatment.
In connecting with Blood Cancer UK through social media, we agreed that I would create a range of ‘Oldmangrey x Bloodwise’ products as another fundraising route for them, using aspects of the ‘Creativity Conquers Cancer’ print. I’m incredibly proud to have used one of the hardest times in my life to do something positive and support this genuinely life-saving charity in their work.
Be kind and B Positive.
If you’d like an Oldmangrey x Blood Cancer UK product, just click the button below to visit the charity’s wonderful website.
All proceeds go direct to the charity and saving lives. Let’s kick blood cancer in the nuts!
What are the symptoms of blood cancer?
Symptoms vary between different blood cancers, but most commonly include:
unexplained bruising or bleeding (e.g. in the mouth/gums) and bruises taking longer to heal
shortness of breath
reoccurring or persistent infections
unexplained rash (petechial) or itchy skin
tiredness that doesn’t improve with rest or sleep
What is a stem cell donor, and how can I become one?
Around 1 in 4 people who need a stem cell transplant to cure their blood cancer, will find a match in their sibling or other family member. I was one of these incredibly fortunate people.
However the other 75% will have to search in the worldwide stem cell registers for their match. DKMS estimate that 40% of these folk won’t find a match as there are still too few people on the donor registers. This is where you come in, and be a potential life saving hero!
To sign-up, all you have to do is swab the inside of your mouth; this allows your tissue type to be identified for the register. If one day you get that amazing letter asking you to donate your stem cells to save a life, 75% of these donations are collected through a process very similar to donating blood. In the other 25% of cases, a bone marrow collection is used to collect the blood stem cells.