Woman whose back was broken by cancer hails hospitals' staff for helping her live a full life

A woman living with incurable blood cancer has spoken of the devastating impact of her disease. Krys Kemple, 59, from Ebley, was diagnosed with myeloma in August 2022, after months of excruciating back pain.

By the time her cancer was caught, the disease had started weakening her bones and her back was broken in three places. Krys has now thanked the team at Gloucestershire Hospitals for supporting her through the rollercoaster of cancer treatment and giving her a chance to lead a full life.

“When the consultant told me it was myeloma, he was so nice and so relaxed – I just had total faith in the team,” said the 59-year-old. “They were so sweet and took me through everything. The team kept me going. They keep you buoyant.”

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Gloucestershire Hospitals have now scooped a national award for their commitment to patients living with incurable blood cancer. The hospitals were presented with the Myeloma UK Clinical Service Excellence Programme (CSEP) Award in recognition of their outstanding care and dedication to patients with myeloma, an incurable blood cancer which claims the lives of 3,000 people in the UK each year.

Staff were praised for their efforts to improve patients’ quality of life and eagerness to listen to their needs. The accolade, awarded by blood cancer charity Myeloma UK, recognises hospitals’ commitment to raising the bar for treatment and providing compassionate care.

Myeloma is especially hard to spot as the symptoms are often vague and dismissed as ageing or other minor conditions. By the time many patients are diagnosed their cancer has often advanced and they require urgent treatment. This can significantly impact their chances of survival and quality of life.

Krys said: “I have a massive sense of humour and I like making people laugh. Whenever I can, I’m going to lighten the mood. They really get my sense of humour and they’ve never made me feel like I was silly or ignorant. I’m lucky. The support of my family and my team has been phenomenal.”

Myeloma occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects over 24,000 people in the UK. It is a relapsing-remitting cancer, meaning that although many patients will experience periods of remission following treatment, the disease will inevitably return.

More than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through A&E. While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life.

Krys had been struggling to recover from a pulmonary embolism in both lungs when her GP ordered blood tests back in February 2022. The tests showed she suffered from MGUS, a benign condition which had just a 1% chance of developing into a cancer like myeloma.

Within three weeks of her MGUS diagnosis, she started experiencing excruciating pain in her back.

“I just felt something go in my spine,” she said. “I was screaming in agony. The GP put it down to backache. It went on for five months. I was ringing daily, begging for help. I did ask a locum if it could have anything to do with this MGUS but he said, ‘Nah, don’t be silly’, those were his exact words.”

Eventually one of the doctors at her practice recommended physiotherapy. Her physiotherapist requested an X-ray. The scan revealed her spine was broken in three places. She was diagnosed with myeloma in August 2022.

“The doctor said it looked like a crash injury,” said Krys, who works as a test engineer. “For five months I just knew it was more than just back pain. I knew something else was going on. GPs need to trust their patients when the patient says, ‘It’s not backache and it’s getting worse’.

“It’s not what anybody wants to hear but it was a little bit of a relief to find out there was actually something wrong. The worse thing about being in a lot of pain for so long is that nobody can see it, it’s not a tangible thing. I kept thinking, nobody believes me. People would say, ‘It can’t be that bad’. When I was diagnosed, the word I focused on was ‘treatable’.

Krys underwent radiotherapy, which helped significantly reduce her back pain, before enrolling in a clinical trial. She received a stem cell transplant in February 2023. Unfortunately, her cancer came back earlier this year.

Despite this setback, Krys is determined to push on, keep doing the things that bring her joy – and embark on new adventures whenever possible. She enjoyed a trip on a helicopter to mark her first 100 days post-stem cell transplant last year. She also hopes to buy a pony and trap in the future.

“You have to change your mindset,” she said. “I set myself small tasks and if I can’t do them, I can’t do them. I just go and sit, have a cup of tea and a KitKat.

“I used to work with horses and I know I’ll never be able to ride again because of my back but my goal, if I can get well enough, is to get a pony and a trap. Can you imagine rocking up at Sainsbury’s with a pony and trap?

“I’m doing things that make me smile. Every day is a win for me at the moment.”

Asha Johny, Consultant Haematologist at Gloucestershire Hospitals, said: “We are delighted to receive the Myeloma UK CSEP award. This is a huge achievement and a reflection of the hard work of the wider myeloma team. We would not be able to deliver the excellent care that has been recognised by Myeloma UK, without the dedication of every member of the team working together.

“We will continue to strive to maintain the highest quality of care for all our patients, as they are at the heart of all we do.”

Monica Morris, Clinical Practice Services Senior Projects Officer at Myeloma UK, said: “Myeloma is a challenging cancer which keeps coming back and can be really difficult to cope with both physically and mentally, so we were hugely impressed with the hospital’s efforts to ease patients’ burden.

“The clinical trials unit, in particular, makes a tremendous difference to patients’ lives as, over time, myeloma becomes resistant to treatments. This means they’re heavily reliant on new experimental drugs to keep their cancer in check.

“Staff not only deliver outstanding care but they run masterclasses for local GPs to help them spot the tell-tale signs sooner and ensure patients get diagnosed as early as possible.

“To see the team going the extra mile day after day to give those affected by myeloma a fighting chance to live well with cancer is truly inspiring.”