She constantly felt tired - the reason why turned her world upside down
Alison Munroe just couldn't get to the bottom of her constant ill health and exhaustion. The 42-year-old would feel "wiped out all the time" and couldn't pinpoint the cause of her declining health.
The "fit and healthy" woman decided to seek medical help after noticing she kept suffering from long-lasting infections and minor injuries that wouldn't heal.
Alison, from the Hunts Cross area of Liverpool, was later told by her GP that she was anaemic. Anemia is a problem where not enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin are produced to carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
READ MORE: Doctors said he had a trapped nerve. His gut instinct was right all along
But tragically, further tests revealed she was actually suffering from a rare type of blood cancer called Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia, or WM.
Raising awareness for Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September, she recounted her experience: "I went to see the consultant at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre to get my results. I'd been googling like mad so I wasn't surprised when he told me it was Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia. My symptoms just seemed to fit and I felt like finally I had an explanation for how I had been feeling."
Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia (WM) is a slow-developing cancer affecting a type of white blood cell known as a lymphocyte. This abnormal cell growth leads to a reduction in healthy blood cells, compromising the body's ability to fight infections and transport oxygen, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Although Alison is living with cancerous cells throughout her body, she isn't currently undergoing treatment. Instead, her condition is being carefully monitored by her clinical team at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. She'll start treatment once the cancer progresses to that stage.
"Everyone wants to know when I'm starting treatment and I have to explain that my cancer isn't like that but I do still have cancer," she added. "It's also been challenging mentally for me. I've always been healthy but the other week I got a cough and my temperature went up to 42C."
"Usually I'd just take some cough medicine and take it easy for a few days but I rang my team at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and they told me I needed to go to A&E straight away because I had blood cancer and an infection could potentially cause sepsis. You just don't realise things like that until you have cancer."
Determined to make the most of life despite her diagnosis, Alison has set her sights on completing the Berlin Marathon on September 29, 2024 a major milestone in her quest to finish all six World Major Marathons.
She expressed: "Cancer has given me a kick up the backside. I know physically I can complete a marathon because I did the London Marathon a few years ago before the exhaustion. I just need to make it to the Brandenburg Gate in time because the Berlin Marathon has a cut-off time and if you don't hit the timings at different points, you don't get to finish."
"In fact, there are many different types of blood cancer and some people do not need treatment, or when they do so, it can be after several years. That's why it's so important for us to care for each patient as an individual and look at what's right for them, whether they need treatment immediately or are on 'active monitoring' like Alison."
"Alison is a fantastic example of someone that you would never suspect is living with blood cancer. We are all cheering her on in her preparations for the Berlin Marathon."