Birmingham man backs landmark campaign to transform blood cancer survival rates
He hopes to spare other families the pain he suffered after losing three loved ones to the disease within just over a year
Last updated 4th Nov 2026
Lee Williams, a Senior Project Manager from Kings Heath, Birmingham, knows all too well the devastating impact of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In just over a year, he lost his mother, a friend, and a relative to this aggressive form of blood cancer.
Reflecting on the staggering loss, Lee said, “It’s impossible to describe what it feels like to lose a parent. The speed at which the tide turned on Mum and our family was crippling.”
Lee is lending his support to Blood Cancer UK's new campaign, Trial Treat Beat, a landmark £25 million appeal aimed at doubling the survival rates for the deadliest blood cancers. Despite overall improvements in cancer survival rates nationally, acute myeloid leukaemia survival has only improved by three percentage points over the past decade.
“With innovative trials, we can push for better treatments, better survival rates, and, hopefully, one day, a cure,” Lee said.
Currently, only one in three people survive the deadliest types of blood cancers. Blood Cancer UK-funded analysis has highlighted the urgent need for progress as survival rates for AML have seen minimal improvement.
Lee hopes the campaign will prevent other families from experiencing the same heartache, stating, “I think at the moment for someone being diagnosed, to see that statistic that only one in three people survive is incredibly bleak and it's incredibly scary.
"To know that there's work being done and we are raising those funds...
"That will just provide such peace of mind that people don't have at the moment."
The initiative, which aims to utilise innovative trial designs to expedite the testing of new treatments, comes with a poignant reminder marked by hundreds of chairs placed in central London with two-thirds left empty — a stark symbol of those who don’t survive.
Lee feels a sense of purpose in supporting the appeal: “If we can drive this campaign and raise the funds for treatments, it feels like we would have achieved something. We want to give more families the chance to have more time with their loved ones.”
Blood Cancer UK's CEO, Helen Rowntree, states: “For too long, people with some of the deadliest blood cancers have been left behind by progress.
"With the public’s support, we can give more people the chance of life after a blood cancer diagnosis."
Visit the Blood Cancer UK website for more information about the campaign and how you can support their mission to transform survival rates for patients facing the deadliest blood cancers.