Blood Cancer Awareness Month: Yorkshire woman living with leukaemia backs awareness campaign set up to address 'worrying' lack of knowledge of symptoms

“I spotted it after having some vaccinations for travelling to Asia, and my GP assumed the lump was a result of the jabs,” the 70-year-old says.

“When I was then hospitalised with a stomach bug, and the lump only grew bigger, I went back to my GP. He was lovely, but still didn’t think it was a problem and thought it may have been a little cyst on my lymph node.”

Before the lump was removed, Alice’s doctor sent her for an ultrasound. More tests followed, including a CT scan. Alice, who lives in Bridlington, was 66 at the time and she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells and tends to progress slowly over many years.

Now, she is supporting a campaign designed to get people talking about leukaemia symptoms during Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

It has been launched by Leukaemia Care and Leukaemia UK after a survey by the charities found that nearly half of respondents from Yorkshrie and the Humber could not recognise any of the four most wifely reported symptoms of the disease - unusual bleeding, bruising, fatigue and repeated infections. Other symptoms of leukaemia include fever or night sweats, bone or joint pain, swollen lymph nodes and shortness of breath.

The two charities are collaborating on the #SpotLeukaemia campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of the fifth most common cancer and third deadliest.

In a new film, they have called on the expertise of Henry, a talented Macaw parrot, to try to make the symptoms of leukaemia memorable.

The ad sees Henry using a range of objects to create a ‘Spot Leukaemia rap’ and aims to address research which suggests less than one per cent of Brits are able to identify all four of the most widely reported symptoms.

Zack Pemberton-Whiteley, chief executive of Leukaemia Care says: “That is extremely worrying. Early diagnosis of leukaemia can improve survival.

“With over 10,000 people being diagnosed every year with a leukaemia, this shows just how important it is to continue to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms and how much work needs to be done.

“It’s crucial that if you think you have fatigue, bruising or bleeding or repeated infections that you contact your GP and ask for a blood test. It’s as simple as that and we will continue to parrot-on about it.”

A lack of awareness of which age groups are most at risk from leukaemia is also concerning, the charities say, with 43 per cent of respondents thinking that leukaemia is most common in the under 24s.

Whilst it is true that leukaemia is the most common type of childhood cancer, leukaemia incidence rates rise sharply after the age of 55 and 38 per cent of all new diagnoses occur in those over 75.

Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK says: “People underestimate their risk by thinking that leukaemia is a childhood disease.

“In reality, both incidence and mortality rates rise sharply after the age of 55.

“Raising awareness in this age group is critical in order to treat it early and effectively; and ultimately to improve survival rates overall.”

People who are concerned about any of the leukaemia symptoms are being strongly urged by the charities to contact their GP and request a blood test.

Alice says: “Anything which helps people spot the symptoms and accept the diagnosis of leukaemia is vital.”

To watch the campaign video, visit www.spotleukaemia.org.uk