A grandad-of-two who underwent a life-saving stem cell transplant at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has said his gratitude to the NHS inspired him to become a patient transport worker and help others like him.
Ashley Gray, 59, from Hillsborough, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare type of blood cancer, on New Year's Day 2023.
Normally fit and healthy, he fell ill over the Christmas week although he had no clue how ill he was just days before being diagnosed with the aggressive cancer, which occurs when the cancerous cells grow quickly and uncontrollably in the bone marrow, crowding out healthy blood cells.
"I thought I'd just had a bad cold, and I'd even carried on working. Whilst I was at home, I started a fever and was shaking so my wife called 111. It was Christmas week and the walk-in was shut so we were sent to A&E. When I got there, I collapsed and tests showed all my healthy blood counts were on the floor. I had absolutely no idea."
He was taken to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, where he received blood transfusions to prop up his blood counts and following a bone marrow biopsy, his diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia was confirmed.
In the ensuing months, he underwent several rounds of gruelling chemotherapy, losing his hair, and remaining as an inpatient for seven weeks before being given the all-clear to continue to receive his ongoing treatment as an ambulatory care patient.
'I wanted to give back to the NHS'
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| Ashley's stem cells continue to keep him cancer-free
Thanks to the generosity of a stranger, he received his life-saving stem cell transplant on the 16th May, his daughter's birthday.
"I had side effects like sickness, diarrhoea and tiredness throughout my chemotherapy, and a nasty rash during my transplant and I lost all my hair which affected me much more than I thought it would. But the haematology team were superstars, and I had so much gratitude and that's when I decided I wanted to do something more worthwhile with my life."
A few months after his transplant, the lorry driver was well enough to go back to work on a part-time basis and it was here that he spotted a job as a non-emergency patient transport worker.
Three years on, he remains cancer-free and continues to enjoy the job.
"I really enjoy getting people home and talking to people.
"One of the best things was when I first went back up to the O2 day ward in my job rather than as a patient and I saw one of the nurses that treated me there.
"To be there and to be better and doing something for others, it meant so much.
"Everybody and everyone in the hospital team have been absolutely brilliant. I can't thank them enough."
Improving longer-term outcomes
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| Ashley's care was supported by a specialist team at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, from ambulatory chemotherapy through to transplant and recovery
Around 3,100 people are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in the UK every year. A stem cell transplant is often the only hope of a cure.
Dr Alex Kanellopoulos, Consultant Haematologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Sheffield is a major centre for stem cell transplantation and everyone here is so proud of Ashley and all he has achieved following treatment. Although treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia have remained largely unchanged for the last few decades, there have been significant breakthroughs in recent years, including genetic techniques which allow us to track DNA changes and patient-specific markers of the disease in the blood and bone marrow, improving outcomes. New maintenance therapies have also helped to lower the risk of relapse.
"We are also pioneering novel ways of preventing graft-versus-host disease, a common complication where the donor's immune cells attack the patient's healthy tissues. These newer approaches keep patients well protected while allowing the donor's immune system to rebuild strongly, which is key to keeping the leukaemia away. Combined with new conditioning regimen treatment given to prepare patients for their transplant and close, structured follow-up in the early months after transplant, led by our multidisciplinary team, this makes a real difference for patients, enabling fewer long-term complications and less reliance on long-term immunosuppressant medication.
"Our ambulatory care service also allows certain patients to receive a variety of treatments, including high-dose chemotherapy, without the need for an overnight hospital stay. This helps patients retain much-needed normality and independence during highly intensive treatments."
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