Local woman calls for more awareness of blood cancer after missed diagnosis
woman with multiple myeloma hopes greater awareness will help more people recognise the signs and get diagnosed
Gemma Seager's journey with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer, began with a seemingly innocuous injury during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
While lifting weights at home, Gemma slipped, injuring her back.
Expecting a quick recovery, she was surprised when her condition worsened. Determined to get answers, she soke to her GP and received a Physiotherapy referral.
However, it wasn't until nine months later that the gravity of her situation became apparent.
On 6th May 2021, Gemma was rushed to Hospital for an MRI due to a collapsed vertebrae. Further testing revealed the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.
The 'gruelling' treatment included an autologous stem cell transplant, isolating her during the Christmas period and made further challenging due to COVID-19. But Gemma says this diagnosis and treatment is isolating for anyone going through it, regardless of an additional pandemic.
Inspired by acts of kindness she received, Gemma founded 'A Life in Progress CIC', which aims to provide 'Reboot Boxes' to stem cell transplant patients.
Starting with six self-funded boxes at her local hospital, her initiative now aspires to reach every transplant patient in the UK.
Through this project, Gemma hopes to remind patients that even in their darkest moments, they can find strength, courage, and a supportive community.
"I've had a lot of people who've received the boxes say it made them feel not alone, that someone else had been through it and come out the other side" Gemma said.
Gemma is calling for more awareness for Blood Cancer, in hopes it will promote the symptoms so more people can get diagnosed quicker:
She said, "It never occurred to me that my bad back might be cancer. Maybe I could have pushed harder and got diagnosed earlier, but I didn't know the signs"
" it is the third biggest killer in the UK, it would be really good to see it get more attention in that people can spot the symptoms when they come up."
Gemma also hopes further awareness and campaigns will help people going through the treatments, feel less alone:
"representation does matter and if you don't see that, or people like you, you don't know what to expect and it can feel quite isolating."