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Lindsey Levy with her son James who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia four years ago |
‘How I realised giving blood wasn’t in vain’
Son's serious illness brought home benefits of giving to the mother who became donor at 19
BEFORE her son contracted a rare strain of leukemia in 2004, Lindsey Levy had never really thought about what it meant to give blood.
The Bloomsbury mother of two had been a blood donor since she was 19, but it was only when her eldest son James was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the white blood cells, that she realised quite how essential her donations were.
Lindsey, 54, who trains and supports junior doctors for the NHS, said: “It doesn’t seem like much but that one small package can make the difference between life and death. It’s very rare that you can make a difference.
“My son was fine up until six weeks beforehand. He was completely healthy with no problems – he’d never even spent a night in hospital. Then he started feeling incredibly tired and getting bruises that didn’t go away.”
James, now 32, visited his local GP in Telford, Shropshire, and within 24 hours he was in an isolation unit in Shrewsbury Hospital.
His condition was recognised as ALL, a cancer usually seen in children under five years old. The Macmillan nurses looking after him said he would not live four weeks without immediate treatment.
Lindsey said: “We don’t know what triggered it. It’s just one of those things that happens that you can’t predict.
“As a member of the family it’s (giving blood) the only thing you can do to help. I felt like I was indirectly helping him, and others like him.”
In his first week in hospital, James received eight units (equivalent to eight pints) of blood and another eight units of platelets (white blood cells). Throughout his treatment he has had countless more.
After three years of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, James is now in full remission and has not required a blood transfusion since 2006.
He has returned to his job as a troubleshooter for car manufacturers, although he has cut back on the 14-hour days he once worked.
As a type ‘O’, Lindsey’s blood can be given to anybody. Most people have this universal blood type, though few realise how useful it may be.
Lindsey is keen to see the message spread to a wider audience.
“It should be happening more but people don’t bother with it,” she said. “Hospitals should not have to chase around after people and ask these difficult questions.
“I don’t do it for glory – I’ve never talked about it before. It’s just something you do. It’s so simple and completely painless. It’s 20 minutes out of your life and you never know when you might need it.” |
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