‘I thought I had a bad cold – I had no idea until I collapsed in A&E’

Ashley Gray, a 59-year-old Sheffield grandfather, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia after collapsing in A&E, having mistaken his symptoms for a bad cold. After chemotherapy and a life-saving stem cell transplant from a donor, he became a non-emergency patient transport worker to support others receiving care.

Gray has been cancer-free for three years and says his treatment inspired him to change careers. NHS figures cited in the article say about 3,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia each year, and a stem cell transplant is often their only hope of a cure. Sheffield clinicians describe advances in monitoring, maintenance therapies and transplant care that can improve outcomes and reduce complications.