‘I thought I had glandular fever but I had only two weeks to live’ - Former Bridgnorth student saved by sister

A former Bridgnorth student has recalled how his sister saved his life after he put down feeling under the weather to glandular fever when he was just 17.

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In reality, Jody White, who now lives in Powys, was diagnosed with acute undifferentiated leukaemia (AUL) and had just two weeks to live.

Jody, now aged 43 who works as a digital designer in Presteigne, said: “I had colds and then ear infections which were so bad I temporarily lost my hearing.

“During a family holiday in Ibiza I developed large inexplicable rashes on different parts of my body which would come and go, and had constant low-level fatigue. I ignored it at first but I had a deep sense something was wrong and it eventually started to get me down.”

He added: “A senior doctor pulled no punches in delivering the news. He said my white blood cell count was sky high. He then told me I had leukaemia. I later found out that the situation was so severe that without treatment I only had around two weeks to live. It felt like the world had just opened up and swallowed me.”

Jody was admitted to Shrewsbury Hospital’s haematology ward that evening and on the 10th October, 1999 he was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of the blood cancer.

Jody was told that his best chance for survival was a bone marrow transplant, and fortunately, after testing his three siblings, his 11-year-old sister Jessie was found to be a match.

“She was so young but she understood the responsibility of her role and she really stepped up. We were always close as children, but we were extra close after the transplant – we’d burst out singing the same songs and finish each others’ sentences. We’re still close to this day,” said Jody.

Recovery from his transplant was a difficult time for Jody with attacks of shingles, skin rashes and Graft Vs Host Disease (GvHD) symptoms. But by summer of 2000 he felt well enough to go to the V music festival with Tasha. In September he was back at college to restart his first year of A Levels.

“In the end I got three B grades and went to uni at De Montfort to study multi-media design. I had to have routine blood tests and bone marrow biopsies for the ten years after my bone marrow transplant, but when the consultant finally said to me ‘I don’t think we need to see you anymore’ and I was considered cured, it felt incredible.”

Jody later published a book his leukaemia story to share his experiences.

“I felt it important to share my experience with others, perhaps giving them hope in some small way. I’m pleased to say it’s been very successful, and I’m currently finishing my next book which is a coming-of-age tale inspired by my travels in South America.

“I’m pleased to say I remain energetic and healthy, for which I am forever grateful. Leukaemia might have broken me, but I put myself back together in a way that expanded my sense of what it means to be alive.”

Jody’s book, Chimera, can be found on Amazon, but he has also shared his experience at: leukaemiauk.org.uk/stories/jodys-story-without-treatment-i-only-had-two-weeks-to-live/