Kicking Cancers Butt 💁‍♀️

Hey 👋 I know it’s been a few months since my last blog, and to be honest it’s because I’m kicking cancers butt 💪  CML may be uncureable but I’m the showing Leukaemia who’s boss 🤗

Anyway, this blog entry is a nice mix of things, in it will be my past 2 Leukaemia results , 3 months and 6 months , for the people following my journey it helps let you know where I am at, also I asked all my close friends to write about what it was like/is like knowing I have Cancer..  as I know a few people who read my blogs don’t have cancer but have a loved one with cancer and say that my blog helps them understand/ feel better , so I thought I’d ask from an outsiders point of few how it feels so people know it’s normal/okay to feel they way they do with their loved ones, and I warn you they are all tear jerkers, so get the tissues ready, I’ve cried at every one of them, the love and
Support I have is just incredible, pre warn you some paragraphs are long, but mean so much💕. Thank you in advance for reading, there is a lot x


So let’s start with the important stuff..

Results...

So how this works, is I take one chemo tablet a day, one a day every day, needs to be at the same time, which mine is 11pm but my doctors aren’t happy with me waking up in the night to be sick/feel sick they want me to take it earlier but I can’t due to work, and throwing up at work won’t be very pretty 🤷‍♀️
Your first Leukaemia results can’t be tested till 3 months on Chemo, my first results I had to see the doctor 👨‍⚕️
At 3 months they want your Leukaemia at 10% or below, but it doesn’t matter if it’s above as it’s the 3 month mark, and it’s just to get an idea of how Chemo is working with my Cancer..
At 6 months they want your Leukaemia to be below 1% otherwise they have to take you off the first chemo tablet and on to the next one.
At 3 months, I had gone from 100% to 2.8% ! Which is absolutely amazing it means the chemo is working well with my body, fighting the Leukaemia!
Then at 6 months I went from 2.8% to 0.38% which is again amazing..
So where I go from here is my 1 year results, which is in April and my consultant things with how dramatic my drops have been that I can/should be in Remission by the year 🥰 which needs to be under 0.05!  Unfortunately I’ll still have Leukaemia, but I will have it under control and well and truly kicking it’s butt 💪👱🏻‍♀️
Now remission is great, but it can also rise whenever if wants so I’ll have to stay on Chemo every day, and keep attending 3 month appointments to make sure it stays under control.. knowing It can rise anytime is upsetting, but you gotta keep positive 🙌🤞



  Tissues at the ready...  Loved ones feelings! 💕

I’ll start with guy who means the absolute world to me, I couldn’t get through all this Cancer stuff without my wonderful Fiancé! Ashley proposed to me on the my birthday in November, and it was so perfect in Disneyland in front of the Castle 🥰 he got our friends to video and take pictures so I can always look at the most perfect moment, it was the easiest yes I have ever said, I’m so lucky to have him 👫💞


ASHLEY CASSIDY 💍👫 

My fiancée and Cancer

The early days. 

Finding out the love of your life has cancer was a very hard thing to not only take in but to deal with knowing you want to do everything to make her better and knowing you can’t do anything at all. All I could do is put a front on making her believe I was strong for her when in fact it hit me and make me think. Why her and how hopeless I was that I couldn’t do anything to help. Being there for the results and hearing ‘sorry luv you have leukaemia’ and seeing my fiancée’s face just drop and seeing all the emotions flooding out but I knew I had to try and be the strong one for her comforting her and being there. Even if I was just holding her tightly in my arms, being a shoulder to cry on or a ear to speak to. But nothing can really help in that situation, not even dessert as we even tired that. 

After the initial shock was over after a couple of days. To my surprise Leanne was very upbeat about the whole situation as I could see a new fire burning within her. It was amazing to see it’s like she never even got any bad news. She is so strong and won’t let anything beat her. 

Life now

For me now seeing what a strong person Leanne is just made me just as strong seeing her battle this day in day out knowing that nothing can touch her and seeing how much our lives have changed with her having leukaemia.

The bad days

There has been many for me, always being worried at the slightest cough or sneeze, with anything I’m always saying ‘check your temperature’ as that can mean life or death it’s that simple as a lot of people don’t know cancer is just a small part. It’s everything else what now can harm you. As we found out the hard way.  

When Leanne was in hospital with suspected sepsis was very hard and a big realisation to how seriously ill she was. It hit me like a brick wall. This was the real moment I thought I could loose her at any moment without even knowing. I was at hospital by her side every day just loving her and being there supporting her and I never wanted to leave her side! She had to make me. Even with how ill she was she was still so strong! 

Some nights when she gets fed up and down with having to take tablets everyday, when they make her feel so ill and make her itch all over and when she wakes up to be sick and just goes to sleep again like it was nothing! I just have to be there and love her and tell her life is still worth living even though I have no idea how the tablets actually make you feel or the uncontrollable itch it gives her and  the hair loss. I don’t know how it truly feels and it upsets me seeing her like this but I just have to hold her close and tell her everything will be ok even though I’m powerless in helping her become better. 

Leanne you make me so proud and she makes me a better person. I’m so happy she said yes to becoming my fiancée I love you so much Leanne xxx

Jimmy O’Hare (brother) 👩‍👧‍👦

Well where do I start.... 

When I had the phone call off my little sister and I heard the result back then, I collapsed to the floor at work. Working all alone with nobody to talk too until I got home, I had to endear a long lonely shift. My life felt like it was falling apart. I had to be the brave one and continue to stay strong, after all I'm the bigger brother, my little sister's rock. As I've grown up I do see my sister as a best friend aswel as family. Shes a fantastic Auntie to my daughter Lottie and has a great 

relationship with my partner Georgia Sutton. My sister is a unbelievable young woman who is so strong mentally and has alot of support to pull her through. I will continue to stay strong for her though at times it does get to me knowing it's MY LITTLE SISTER going through this. Why not me? I ask myself. Looking back at my childhood, my sister and I had our differences, do I regret them fall outs.. yes and no. Yes because I was horrible at times like your typical brother but no at the same time as we've become closer and will continue to be close. I would be lost without you Siski. We have our separate lives now but I miss talking to you, always feel like I got so much to catch up on. I'm always here for you Leanne.. ❤️ bro and sis ❤️

 Elsie Howarth 🥰

To my best friend,

I love you, I don’t say it enough but I do. Words can not explain the hurt I had when I found out you had Cancer, it still doesn’t seem real. I guess that is because you are still living your life to the fullest. Strangely you have never been happier, which when your happy I am happy. I have always tried to protect you from everything, even through you hate it sometimes. I couldn’t protect you from this, but I can help you through it and help you realise that you are going to live a long life. We will be that old pair of women that go and cause trouble and just laugh. You have been there for me in the worse moments, and your support means the world. People always wonder why we have stayed friends for so long (17 years I think), but people just don’t get that we just gel and I could never let you go as a friend. I know you feel pain sometimes and you have your down days, but I am only a message away, not like I’m a doctor or anything but I can help you think about all the good times we have had. 

Im writing this listening to “love story” cause this song just makes me think of great times we have had, we have even done this on karaoke hahaha (Alcohol may have been involved). We have so many inside jokes and memories I could be here all day. 

One day it might sink in that you have Cancer, but even when it does sink in I hope nothing changes. I have had to learn that I can’t save you from everything, but I can be there when you need me. Keep smiling and showing everyone what an amazing person you are and continue to kick cancers butt. I will always be here for you and I will alway be your best friend.

Lots of Love

Elfie 🙂

Sophie Lund 😘

Leanne is one of my best friends, so knowing cancer is and will always be part of her life is difficult.  I hate to think about the pain she goes through, and the sickness she experiences as the result of her treatment. However Leanne is also the strongest person I know, she takes everything in her stride and I really admire her for it.

Her diagnosis has definitely changed my outlook on life, life is really so short, too short to worry about the small things and to not enjoy every moment that you can.

Leanne is an open book so it's been helpful to be able to talk about cancer with her, when she wants to, to be able to understand how cancer affects her and what is to come in the future. In my eyes Leanne will live as long as me, we'll both get married, have kids and grow old together, how true that is I don't know but I think it comforts me to see that as mine and hers future as I don't see life without Leanne in it.

Sandra Fielding (mother) 👩‍👧‍👦

When I found out that my daughter has received this terrible news I was in a state of shock, panic and worry. It took a few weeks for me to take all of this on board. I now live everyday one day at a time. Every moment counts, to have to watch my daughter go through this is so hard but I'm proud that she has a strong mentality to pull through this. Love you Leanne, from Mum ❤️❤️

Kirsty Mangan 😘

What if feel’s like knowing Leanne has cancer…

Strange. Weird. Sad. Knowing that she is dealing with pain daily and there is nothing you can do. Knowing that she is going through something and you don’t know how to help. Hearing of her daily struggles and wishing you could take some of the pain away. 

Even though she is going through all this pain she still manages to enjoy her life. She is still the same beautiful, funny, talented girl I met all them years ago but continues to grow as a person every single day. To see the person, she is becoming day by day, the life she is living the way she wants to. To see her settling down with someone wo helps her through this cancer and supports her every step of the way. 

Knowing that she has cancer is horrible, it puts you on edge thinking something is going to happen. But I know Leanne and I know that she is the strongest person I have met in my life and I know she is going to get through this.

Rebecca Stockwell & Darren Thornton ☺️


This is hard to put into words to begin with. I never thought about Leanne and her cancer, I just saw my super strong kick ass best friend. But the more I thought about it the more at the back of my mind I know I do. I see this super strong woman, who is going through something truly awful, and I just admire how she just takes it in her stride, she just gets on with things, gets on with life. But there are days with wobbles and there are bad days on which all I want to do is give her a big cuddle and tell her it will be okay. It’s at these times I’d give anything to distract her, whether we sit texting or it’s a games night. I just wish I could fix it and it hurts that I can’t. When I really think about Leanne and her cancer I hurt and I get angry that something like this could happen to someone so young with so much left to give, to such a wonderful person. To someone who, no matter what, has always picked me up. To really think that at some point this could take this wonderful person away from me, her family and Ashley crushes me.

My Gorgous niece, who is 3 years old (4 in April) asked her Auntie AnnAnn (me 💁‍♀️) if she could be on the “thingy” (blog) too, so we sat down and had a little talk and she answered questions, so here’s my Q&A with my precious Neice.. 


Leanne “you know AnnAnn gets very poorly sometimes”
Lottie - “AnnAnn is always poorly” 
Leanne - “and what happens when AnnAnn is poorly”
Lottie - “AnnAnn doesn’t feel well, and she bes sick like this (makes sick noise) and it goes in the toilet like a good girl, like when I bes sick it goes into the toilet, I don’t like being sick”
Leanne - “aww so cute ! - do you help AnnAnn when she’s poorly?”
Lottie - “I give you cuddles and then you’re all better aren’t you? Then your not sick”
Leanne - “you want to keep AnnAnn for a long time?” 
Lottie - “yes, you’re my best friend”
Leanne - “well I’m gonna be here a long time no matter what, and see you get very big 😱 - I’m your best friend, wow”
Lottie - “yes I have (starts counting out load) 10!! 10 best friends”
Leanne - “wow that’s a lot of best friends, which number am I?”
Lottie - “errr 9!”
Leanne - “9?! That means I’m near the end!”
Lottie - “noooo (gigglies) your number 1”
She then gave me the biggest cuddle and said “ I love you AnnAnn” 


She’s a clever girl, and seeing her brings a smile to my face 🥰





So thank you all very very much for reading my Blog, I hope this helps anyone who has cancer or anyone who has a loved one who is suffering or who hasn’t lost their battle, it’s perfectly okay to feel the way you do, every single person feels different! And even though my friends don’t show me their hurting, I know deep down and from their paragraphs they do hurt, but they still treat me the same and support me in it all.

With all going on, I still count myself to be a very lucky girl,and every day I am thankful for a new day, and thankful for the life I have !



Until next time, lots of love and care !
Leanne x 💞 x