Magazine Winter 2013 Final

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Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:32 Page 1

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

Scan to visit
our website

Winter edition

Inside this issue
1 Benefits advice
1 Ask the expert Q & A
1 Healthy recipes

Plus

Three inspiring
case studies

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:32 Page 2

Winter edition

24-hour CARE Line

Welcome to Winter!

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and
major mobile networks

First of all, I’d like to wish you all a
very Happy New Year and I hope
you have enjoyed the festive
period.
Inside this issue, we’ve got some
great new content for you. We are
pleased to tell you about two new
regular contributors we have on
board. Clinical Psychologist, Dr.
John Donohue will be here every
issue supporting you through the
psychological impact of being
diagnosed with a blood cancer and
will be inviting readers to write in
for future editions and have their
questions answered.
Dr. Faye Kirkland will also feature
in this and future issues, providing
a GP’s insight on issues
surrounding a blood cancer
diagnosis. Her first article
discusses ‘Watch and Wait’.

01 The CARE Line is the only

is continuing. Our aim is to ensure
the services we provide remain
relevant and continue to meet the
needs of all affected by a blood
cancer diagnosis. We will be
publishing the results of the review
when the consultation process is
complete.

We’ve also got some great
nutritious, low-cost recipe ideas
from Can Cook Studio, benefits
advice from Macmillan Benefits
Advisor, Anna Mason, and an
article on tax-effective giving from
LC’s finance team.

2014 promises to be a very
exciting year for LC and I would
like to say a big thank you to
everyone who took the time to
complete the questionnaire ahead
of our consultation - we really do
value your feedback and will do
our very best to take your
comments and ideas on board.

The review of existing services,
which started with the
questionnaire in the Autumn issue,

All the best,
Albert Podesta
Chairman

dedicated Freephone service
for people affected by
leukaemia, Hodgkin,
non-Hodgkin and other
lymphomas, myeloma,
myelodysplasia,
myeloproliferative neoplasms
and aplastic anaemia.
You can talk to someone any
hour of the day or night,
365-days a year.

Key services
02 One-to-One Phone Buddy
03
04
05
06
07
08

Support
Patient and Carer
Conferences
Website
Information and Booklets
Web-based Livechat
Cancer Campaigning and
Patient Advocacy
Support Groups

Leukaemia CARE’S Governance
President: Dr Richard Taylor.
Vice Presidents: Professor Alan Burnett. Professor John Goldman. Dr Eric Watts.
Professor Andrew Pettit. Professor Alexander Spiers. Dr Philip Darbyshire.
Dr Irvine Delamore. Dr Noel Harker. Dr Andrew Hepplestone. Dr Pamela Kearns.
Dr Tim Littlewood. Dr Robert Marcus. Dr Bernard McVerry. Dr Antonio Pagliuca.
Mrs Rosalind Ann Ashley. Mr Jason Eliadis. Ms Sheila Hegarty. Mr & Mrs Ives.
Mr Roland Maturi. Dr John Rees. Dr Ian Gibson. Mr Chris Matthews-Maxwell.
Chairman: Mr Albert Podesta.
Vice Chairman: Mr Chris Matthews-Maxwell.
Trustees: Mrs Rosalind Ann Ashley. Mr Douglas Moseley. Mr Matthew Jackson.
Dr Joanne Norton. Mrs Wendy Davies.
Patrons: Mr Gary Lineker OBE. Lady Penny Mountbatten.
Mrs Lorraine Kelly OBE (Leukaemia CARE Scotland).
Winter edition
©Leukaemia CARE 2014. Reproduction in any matter, in whole or in part is strictly prohibited
without express permission from Leukaemia CARE. The views expressed in this publication do
not necessarily represent the views of Leukaemia CARE. Whilst all due care is taken regarding
the accuracy of information, no responsibility can be accepted for errors. Any advice given
does not constitute a legal opinion. The printing of any advertisement in journey does not
necessarily mean that Leukaemia CARE endorses the company, product or service advertised.
Registered Charity No. 259483, Scottish No. SC039207

journey is produced by Leukaemia CARE and published by:

T: 01922 423199
E: [email protected]

www.spectrumbirches.co.uk

CARE Line 24-hour freephone

02

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and major mobile networks

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:33 Page 3

Winter edition

p.13

p.15



Without the support from my family,
friends, Leukaemia CARE, the
Liverpool haematology support group
and the staff at the hospital, I would
not be the person I am now.

p.19



p.22

p.21

p.4

Check out all our latest LC News including
our latest booklet soon to be added to our
Step-by-Step range.

p.6

Clinical Psychologist, Dr. John Donohue
invites you to send in your questions to be
answered in future issues.

p.12 Tales of our fabulous fundraisers who have

Charles Brooks shares his story about being
diagnosed with CML, and how running has
become an unlikely friend.

p.17 Dr. Faye Kirkland talks about watch and wait.

p.8

Should you wish to enquire further about any of the
matters raised in journey or anything to do with the
work of Leukaemia CARE, please contact: Leukaemia
CARE, One Birch Court, Blackpole East, Worcester,
WR3 8SG, call freephone 08088 010 444 or email:
[email protected]

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

gone above and beyond to support us.

p.18 Can Cook Studio tell us how to cook up some
fantastic recipes on a budget

When you have finished with this
magazine please recycle it.

03

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Winter edition

CARE

Line
24-hou
r
f
r
e
e
Free fro
m land phone
lines
majo
r mobil
a
e netwo nd
rks

08088
010 444
CARE Line training
On Wednesday 11th September we invited our current
CARE Line volunteers to take part in a whole days training
session which was run by the Helpline Association. Fifteen
members came from around the UK to participate in
activities, which would help them to provide even better
advice and support to those who contact our 24-hour
freephone CARE Line. The training session included, a
Q&A session, role-play scenarios and general
reinforcement of the importance of the role.

New patient literature
We have been working hard to produce another
groundbreaking information booklet in our successful
‘Step-by-Step’ range. This booklet is due to be
launched soon and is designed to provide you with
information about the common side effects you may
experience, what to expect and how they may be
managed. We also supply a wide range of information
on all other blood cancers as well as booklets and
information sheets on a range of issues that can affect
patients. All our patient booklets are accredited by The
Information Standard and can be
downloaded from our website.
Alternatively call 08088 010 444 to
pre-order your free copy or email
[email protected]

Nurses Professional
Development Day
On 6th November 2013, we held a
successful Nurses Professional
Development Day at The Worcester
Porcelain Museum with over 30 nurses in attendance. The
event was aimed at providing nurses with the knowledge
to support patients through the cancer journey, specifically
through communication and psychological support.
Feedback from the development day can be found on our
website.
Following the recent conference success, we now turn our
attention to our London Patient and Carer conference, held
on 29th March 2014 alongside the Lymphoma Association.
We will be shortly taking bookings and an agenda will be
uploaded on our website nearer the time, so keep a look
out. For more information, call us on 08088 010 444.
Places are limited, and will be allocated on a first come,
first served basis.

York Haematology Support
Group
As an acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
patient, Carol Miller felt that a support
group was very much needed in York
where she lives. She set one up in
January 2012 and it has the support of
Leukaemia CARE, Myeloma UK and
Yorkshire and Humberside
Haematology Network, based at York
University. If you live in York and feel
you would benefit from meeting people
in a similar situation to talk about your
thoughts, feeling and emotions, the
support group warmly welcomes
newcomers on a regular basis.
The group meets at Huntington
Working Mens Club in York on the first
Thursday of the month from 7pm –
9pm. For more information, call 08088
010 444.
CARE Line 24-hour freephone

04

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and major mobile networks

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:33 Page 5

Winter edition

Benefits advice for the
cancer patient
By Anna Mason, Macmillan Benefits Advisor
A cancer diagnosis may mean significant income changes
for the cancer patient’s household; add to this the major
changes (for those of working age) due to effect the
welfare system, and the result can be confusion and
uncertainty. The following article is an overview of
entitlements, and changes where relevant.
For people of working age and in work, a cancer diagnosis
may mean time off work. Rates of contractual sick pay
vary; in some cases this may be the same as normal salary
in which case there will be no additional benefit entitlement.
A fall in wage to statutory sick pay (SSP), however, may
give some benefit entitlement. For those paying rent, you
may be entitled to housing benefit and council tax
reduction. For homeowners there may be entitlement to
council tax reduction. You can find out about these
benefits from your local council. For couples, if both
partners are working and there is a drop in combined
income, another salary coming in usually rules out means
tested benefits. In this situation, the contributory benefit of
employment and support allowance (ESA), may be
appropriate but only when SSP has ended. For those in
self-employment with no SSP, ESA can be claimed as soon
as the individual is not fit to work. Information on this
benefit, including how to claim, can be found on the Gov
UK website. Entitlement to working tax credit (WTC)
may also come in when an individual goes on to SSP, due
to the fall in income (provided the other conditions for tax
credit are met). Further information on tax credits is
available on the HMRC website, but be warned that the
potential risk of being overpaid (and therefore having to
pay back) is quite high given the way this benefit is
calculated.
For those of pension age, the main means tested benefit is
pension guarantee credit; however, the pensions service
will usually inform lower income pensioners of this benefit.
Men can become eligible for pension credit when they
reach the pension age of a woman (so before their state
pension age). It would therefore make more sense for a
single man who cannot work due to ill health to claim
pension credit rather than ESA if eligible. Pension credit
also gives full entitlement to housing benefit and council tax
reduction.

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

Finally there are the disability benefits of disability living
allowance (DLA) which is being phased out (no new claims
can be made), and personal independence payment
(PIP), for those of working age, and attendance allowance
(AA) for those aged 65 and older. A diagnosis of cancer
alone does not give entitlement, rather the effect of the
illness on a person’s care and/or mobility needs, unless the
claimant meets the ‘special rules procedures’ because they
are terminally ill (with the likelihood that death will occur
within the next six months). These benefits are not taxed
and not means tested. There is a qualifying time period
whereby the patient needs to have had sufficient needs for,
in the case of PIP, three months before the claim and nine
months afterwards, and for AA, six months before hand. So
an individual can become very ill when, for instance,
undergoing chemotherapy and clearly have care needs and
yet not meet the qualifying time period.
Other benefits changes include a benefit cap (of £500 per
week for couples and those with children, £350 for single
people), however, receiving certain benefits including DLA
or PIP means that this will not apply (see Gov UK website
for list of benefits excluded from benefit cap). Then there is
Universal Credit which should be nationally in place by
October 2017, but as yet is still being piloted. Further
information on this benefit (which will replace the main
means tested benefits) can be found on the Gov UK
website.
The benefits system remains complex and so it is
advisable to seek specialist advice if you are unsure of
what to claim or of eligibility. The local Citizens Advice
Bureau remains a good first stop or Advice Line for
telephone advice (see Citizens Advice website for details of
number to use). Another online option is the Turn2Us
website which will enable you to carry out your own benefit
entitlement check.

Useful websites
Gov UK www.gov.uk
HMRC www.hmrc.gov.uk
Turn2us www.turn2us.org.uk
Citizens Advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk

05

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Winter edition

Ask the
expert
By John Donohue,
Chartered Clinical Psychologist
I would like to thank Leukaemia CARE for once again
inviting me to contribute to journey. In my last article I
wrote about the psychological aspects of receiving a
diagnosis of a blood cancer and indeed the kinds of
emotions patients may experience during and after
treatment. I recalled that many patients have disclosed to
me in my work as a psychologist that the psychological
and emotional consequences can be very unsettling and
contrary to popular belief, this process can be at its most
challenging in the weeks and months after treatment
completion. Furthermore, I emphasised the importance of
all health care professionals in remaining sensitive to the
demanding tasks of adjustment many patients undergo
and be willing at all times to discuss these important
aspects of patient care.
In a very similar vein, Leukaemia CARE has long
recognised the effects of these difficulties and holds a
history of frequently making space available to patients to
speak of their experiences. In so doing, the forum directly
unifies many patients in the knowledge that their own
private (and often non-disclosed) experiences are often
shared by others facing similar circumstances. I am
confident that many patients derive consolation and
encouragement from the sense that they are certainly not
alone in feeling what they feel. The promotion of shared
experience through the publication of personal accounts
particularly in these pages, can contribute to a lessening of
isolation and promotion of psychological health.
In the hope of furthering the awareness of the
psychological consequences of disease, we have thought
about what format could be additionally drawn on to write
about these issues. One way in which we felt might be
helpful is to introduce a Q&A forum which would become a

regular feature within journey. Our aim would be that
readers would send in questions they have about what
they experience psychologically and emotionally which
they feel could be best responded to by a psychologist
experienced in offering support to blood cancer patients.
Questions could be about what kind of thoughts or feelings
you have in the aftermath of treatment and how they could
be best addressed, speaking about disease to loved ones
or how to go about getting more face to face support. The
interactive nature of this approach would help us to keep in
touch directly with the thoughts of readers and not stray
too far into the academic.
So, we’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to put
pen to paper or e-mail us your questions about the
psychological aspect of your treatment and/or recovery.
Owing to space, we will not be able to respond to all the
letters but our aim would be to respond to a selection of
letters, which reflect general themes sent in to us. We
hope that the forum will become a much-appreciated
addition to journey and we look forward to hearing from
you.
Please send your questions to:
[email protected] or write to us at:
Leukaemia CARE, One Birch Court, Blackpole East,
Worcester, WR3 8SG

CARE Line 24-hour freephone

06

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and major mobile networks

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Winter edition

Campaigning and Advocacy
By Tony Gavin, Director of Campaigning and Advocacy at Leukaemia CARE
An important part of the work we do as a charity involves
campaigning for rights on your behalf. We collaborate with
a number of national and international groups, one of
which is Cancer52.
Cancer52 is an alliance of 50+ organisations working to
address the inequalities that exist in policy, services and
research into the less common cancers and to improve
outcomes for these patients.
Cancer52’s Third Annual Briefing was held on October 8th
2013, at the House of Lords. Speakers included:
• Lord Maurice Saatchi
• Mr. Sean Duffy, National Clinical Director for Cancer
• Cancer52's new chair, Allyson Kaye
Allyson Kaye, our newly elected Chair, opened the
meeting by thanking all existing supporters of Cancer52
and congratulating the organisation on having built its
presence and voice under the leadership of her
predecessor as Chair, Simon Davies, who has now moved
to the USA to take on a new challenge.
For the future, Allyson said that she saw Cancer52 as a
pioneering organisation able to bring all parts of the less
common cancer community to the table to identify priority

challenges and
opportunities. She
finished by reiterating
the need for support and
investment in the
organisation to enable
infrastructure build and
policy evolution.
Allyson then handed
over to our Honorary
President, Baroness
Delyth Morgan of
Drefelin. She chaired
and hosted our meeting
which included a very
lively question and
answer session from
the membership. Topics
discussed included GP
symptom knowledge,
ageism, the need for
innovation within
surgery as well as drug treatment and the potential impact
of Saatchi Bill outside the UK.

Cancer52 and the Saatchi Initiative
Cancer52 is working closely
with the Saatchi Initiative
team as the two organisations
share a common vision of the
Initiative, namely - “innovation in research and clinical
practice that allows people with rare and less common
cancers more choices and better quality of life, towards
their having long and good lives.”
Lord Saatchi is the sponsor of the Medical Innovations Bill,
introduced in the House of Lords in December 2012; and
Cancer52 is the leading alliance of patient support group
charities working in the field, many of who are working
alongside the Saatchi team. At the Cancer52 Third Annual
Briefing, Lord Saatchi presented his initiative to the
members of Cancer52. It was a fascinating and farreaching concept, designed to allow doctors to be more
innovative in their treatment approach to patients
diagnosed with cancer.
As part of Cancer52, we have been working with the
Saatchi team with a shared vision of need for innovation in

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

research and clinical practice for people with rare and less
common cancers.
The Saatchi Bill is formally called The Medical Innovation
Bill. It is designed to help doctors develop, so that they can
advance medical science and find new and better
treatments and cures for diseases and conditions including
cancers. Unfortunately, it seems all too likely that the Bill
will fail at its next hearing in the House of Commons.
The new National Clinical Director for Cancer, Sean Duffy,
explained how he saw his role differing from that of his
predecessor, Prof Sir Mike Richards, not least in that he
(Sean) is a clinician, and Mike was a medical oncologist.
He believes that with the new challenges within the new
NHS come new opportunities and listed amongst his
priorities early diagnosis, screening, and reduction in
emergency presentations, survivorship and preventing
ageism, all of which sit very well with the members of
Cancer52. We will be working closely with him to ensure
he stays on-track.

07

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I never enjoyed
running at school
By Charles Brooks
During the cold winter months, cross-country training
was the norm when rugby was unplayable. Every
Tuesday and Thursday I would secretly pray that the
headmaster would stop all sports due to a sudden down
pour and that we could do our homework. I would
therefore never have believed that come 30 years later I
would have successfully completed six London
Marathons and more than a dozen half marathons
raising over £50k for leukaemia charities in the process.

was at the doctors I was now 15-minutes late and was
going to cancel, however something told me to carry on.

My life changed forever on Wednesday 14th September
2005 when I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid
leukaemia (CML). In the preceding six months I had not
felt my normal self though had reasons for some, if not
all, of my ailments such as weight loss, bruising and leg
pains.

I got to work on the 15th September at about 11.30 after
undertaking my blood test and chaired my usual project
meetings. I was having a catch up at my desk with three
of my colleagues when my mobile rang. It was Carol
and she was in tears. I thought something was wrong
with one of my boys or somebody had died. Instead the
results from my blood test had identified that I was
possibly suffering from some form of leukaemia. My first
reaction was to carry on with the meeting and then see
the doctor tomorrow. Carol explained that was not an
option and that I had an appointment at Hillingdon
Hospital at 16:30.

I was generally a fit person and played a lot of football. I
had noticed a higher than normal number of bruises
and leg pains. I put this down to my bad tackles and
failing to warm down. I was generally very tired in the
evening and would often fall asleep. I put all of this
down to being the father of two young children and
project managing a large-scale ICT project. I had also
lost four stones of weight in six months and again put
this down to my strict diet of no bread and cutting out all
treats. There were however two ailments that I could not
answer; night sweats and breathlessness.
I had been experiencing night sweats two-to-three
nights of the week when I would wake up to find my
pyjamas soaking. I was also experiencing
breathlessness when running up a flight of stairs. I did
not have a reason for either ailment and was therefore
starting to have some concerns.
To this day I vividly remember the preceding 72 hours to
my diagnosis. At the weekend I had been celebrating
my brother-in-laws stag party and for some reason I did
not fancy having a drink and was lacking my usual party
spirit. I remember struggling to run up the stairs of the
night club. On the Sunday I spoke to my wife Carol and
told her that something was not right and she advised
that I went to the doctor. I was never one for the doctor
and arranged an appointment for the Monday evening. I
left work late and remember that I needed petrol before
I saw the doctor as a petrol strike loomed. By the time I

I eventually saw the doctor on her last appointment of
the day. I went through my ailments and the doctor
performed a thorough assessment. She mentioned
diabetes though wanted me to have a full blood test. I
did not like needles. Little did I know, I would soon have
to get used to them.

When I arrived at the hospital I was greeted by a large
contingent of staff with nervous smiles. I was asked to
undertake another full blood test and started to ask
questions. However, I was told I would see a consultant
shortly. At 1700 I went in to a room with a team of
consultants. I knew it was now very serious. I was
asked how I had been feeling recently and explained
all my ailments. I was told in a very calm manner that I
had CML and that was the reason why I had been
experiencing all of these ailments including the dramatic
weight loss. My white blood count that should normally
be between 4-11 was 277, my platelets were 492 when
they should have been 150 and my neutrophils were
2.30. This was all new to me at a worrying time, when
less than four hours ago I was at work.
I went very silent and my life started to flash past me.
My first questions were how long I had to live, whether I
would see my boys grow up and how would Carol cope.
I then started to look at timescales asking whether I
would be around for the 2006 World Cup or London
2012 as we had just been awarded the games. What
about my 40th birthday party in six years time? It is
funny what comes in to your head.
CARE Line 24-hour freephone

08

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and major mobile networks

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:33 Page 9

Winter edition

The consultants explained that they had to first reduce
my counts and then review options. I had so many
questions, however, it was too early to second guess. I
stayed in hospital for four days and thankfully my
counts responded to the treatment and started to
reduce. During my stay I started to build up a rapport
with the great staff at Hillingdon Hospital and spent time
with the consultants especially Dr. Richard Kaczmarski
who to this day has remained my consultant, friend and
mentor.
I was recommended to visit the Hammersmith Hospital
on the following Monday. I was still in a state of shock,
however after meeting Professor Appleby I was assured
that everything would be okay provided I listened to the
consultants and stayed away from searching the
Internet. A big no-no. This advice has remained with me
to this day. Although a bone marrow transfer was an
option it was decided that I should start taking this
golden bullet drug called ‘imatinib’.
I was given loads of information regarding imatinib and
was warned about the side effects. I will never forget
the day I took my first tablet. I was sitting down having
dinner with my family and had a pint glass of water (as
per the instructions) at the ready. I had eaten about
75% of my meal when I took my first tablet and
nervously was expecting some reaction. Nothing
happened. For the next 24-hours I was worried that I
would have some reaction. Nothing happened. After
three weeks I had been taking imatinib I was still
concerned. Nothing happened.

said yes. I started to tell friends and family who thought
we were mad.
After four months of training we completed our first
London Marathon in six hours, thirty six minutes. It was
a slow time however it was a lovely day and one of the
hottest on record (our excuse). After my first go at the
marathon I had the running bug and wanted another go.
Over the next five years I would successfully complete
the London Marathon with my brother Edmond and
great friends, Justin and Peter. I was able to get my
finishing time down to five hours, seven minutes and
even ran the last marathon dressed up as Batman! I
have raised £50k for leukaemia charities including
Leukaemia CARE and Anthony Nolan who have been
really supportive.
Without the support of my family, friends and
consultants, none of this would have been possible and
I would like to say thank you to my lovely wife Carol and
two boys who constantly keep me busy, my mum,
brother and valued friends.
Hopefully I have shown that anything is possible and
now onwards to my next challenge and maybe
something else that I hated at school – cycling….

I had another appointment with my consultant after
three weeks and he gave me the fantastic news that
imatinib was working and my counts were reducing. I
was delighted. I continued to see my consultant every
couple of weeks and after six months my counts had
dropped to some normality. I did though notice that my
weight had increased by 10 kilos. One of the main
effects with imatinib was weight increase due to
constantly feeling hungry and also water retention. My
consultant mentioned to me that I should consider
running. Immediately my mind said no after my
experiences at school. After a couple of weeks I started
to do some long walks and was enjoying it. I felt that if I
was to start running I would need a goal. What bigger
goal could there be than the London Marathon?
I have often read stories of people completing the
London Marathon against all odds and felt that if they
could do it so could I. I started to enquire and found that
all of the leukaemia charities would offer me a place in
consideration of my circumstances.
I wanted a running mate and approached my best friend
of over 30 years Barry to ask him to accompany me on
the 26.2 mile route. Amazingly without hesitation he

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

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Winter edition

Fundraising
We receive no lottery or government funding, so rely on our fundraisers to help
us maintain our valuable support to blood cancer patients and their families. If
you have raised money for us, thank you! Check out what our fundraisers have
been doing over the past three months….
RideLondon for LC

The ballot may have closed, but we have guaranteed
charity places for the iconic 100-mile road cycle event,
RideLondon. Taking place on closed roads on Sunday
10th August, you can be part of the event which is a
modified route of the 2012 Olympic Road Race. If
you’re up for the challenge, you can find out more at
www.leukaemiacare.org.uk/ridelondon

Match funding from Barclays
Five staff members from Barclays bank helped organise
a fantastic fundraising day at The Old Maypole pub in
Hainault, Essex. Barclays kindly match funded the
event, giving a grand total of £5,830 to Leukaemia
CARE.

Thank you to ck Accountants!
We’d like to say a quick thank you to Dudley-based ck
Accountants who chose Leukaemia CARE as their
charity of the year. They have been fundraising in a
variety of ways; from donating the postage saved from
sending Christmas e-cards, asking for donations from
the free seminars they hold and various sporting days
including a charity golf day held back in the summer. In
total, almost £3,000 has been raised for Leukaemia
CARE. Well done everybody!

Community fundraisers making a
difference
Our community
fundraisers are always
going the extra mile to
do amazing things for
Leukaemia CARE. Over
the last few months,
we’ve had excellent
donations coming in,
including: £1,000 from
The Cotton Scatterers
(patchwork and quilting
group), £1,425 from
Strathaven Bowling
Club, £1,000 from
Calendar Girls
productions and an
amazing £2,000 from
CML advocate, Nigel
Deekes, following his
charity squash match
with England players!
Thanks for all your support!

Something different
If a 26-mile run or a trek up Kilimanjaro isn’t your thing,
why not think about an invigorating sailing challenge, to
raise money for charity? The Good Cause Sailing
Company (TGCSC) offers a number of challenges from
the 24-hour Endurance Challenge to the Trans Atlantic
Adventure. Sailing offers a new and exciting challenge,
for current, dormant or new fundraisers and sponsors
will be more likely to sponsor you for something new
and challenging.
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Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:33 Page 11

Winter edition

Student Hub
Fundraising pack for primary schools
We’ve recently created a fundraising pack for primary
schools to encourage young children to think about
good causes and raise money for charity. There are lots
of ideas for teachers and pupils to get involved in, key
facts about blood cancers and top tips about organising
a fundraising event at school. If you’d like to order one,
or think your child’s school could benefit from one, you
can call the fundraising team on 01905 755977.

Student Volunteering Week
The 24th-28th February 2014 is Student Volunteering
Week. It’s a national week celebrating student
volunteering and promotes the volunteering efforts of
students across universities and colleges in the UK.
We’ve got lots planned during this week and will be
visiting colleges and universities up and down the
country. More information will be posted on our website
nearer the time so watch this space!

Student Ambassadors
We’re keeping busy promoting our Student Ambassador
Programme to colleges and universities, as well as
encouraging students to get on-board with volunteering,
fundraising and spreading the word about Leukaemia
CARE. We currently have a number of opportunities
available for students, ranging from overseas gap year
treks to internships. Our Student Ambassador
Programme is completely flexible and tailored to fit in
with the student’s interests and free time.

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

Students from Aberystwyth University strike
a pose for Leukaemia CARE
A group of students
from Aberystwyth
University held a
charity fashion show
in November to raise
vital funds for
Leukaemia CARE on
behalf of their friend
who was recently
diagnosed with a
blood cancer.
The students, who are
all members of the
University’s Make-up
and Costume Society
(AberMaCS), put a
great deal of work into arranging The ‘7 Deadly Sins
and The 7 Heavenly Virtues’ themed fashion event. The
event included a number of activities to appeal to all, as
they put on a day of cake sales, face painting and
games. The event finale was a fashion show, featuring
members of the committee dressed in original costumes
and make-up.
All of their hard work paid off as The AberMaCS
Committee managed to raise a brilliant total of more
than £200 which will be used to support those affected
by a blood cancer diagnosis, like their close friend who
was the inspiration for the event.
For more information on student fundraising,
email [email protected]

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Fabulous fundraisers
The sky is the limit for Laura
As a volunteer coordinator for Macmillan, Laura Dowling
comes into contact with lots of patients. She listens to
them and hears about their diagnosis and prognosis from
children aged 12 to soon-to-be fathers and many more.
It was through communicating and building relationships
with so many patients and families that she took a
different approach to life. She no longer felt her life was
hard, in fact, very much the opposite - she felt extra
lucky.
Laura decided she wanted to do something completely
selfless and help support those who need it most, like the
patients she talks to at the Macmillan Cancer Centre.
Without hesitation, she signed up to climb Mount
Kilimanjaro in aid of Leukaemia CARE. Since then, she
has taken part in lots of fundraising events to raise vital
funds towards her pledge. To name a few she has done
a 5km Santa Dash, a 26-mile walk over the South
Downs and even got a close friend to do a sponsored
head shave.
On October 9th 2013, Laura completed her challenge of
a lifetime and reached the summit of Kilimanjaro and in
total has raised a phenomenal £4,700.
Laura’s blogs can be found on our website for
inspirational tales of the ups and downs of her
adventure.

Fundraiser extraordinaire, Tanya, goes
the extra mile
Leukaemia CARE London Marathon runner, Tanya
Dixon, has been extremely busy in the fundraising
department. She has so far raised an amazing £3,400
through a range of events and ideas.
Tanya chose to raise money for Leukaemia CARE as a
friend of hers, Dominic, passed away from leukaemia
13 years ago.
She has organised many events to help her raise
money, getting friends, family and work colleagues
involved. Here are just some of the examples of
fundraising events Tanya has done.
A charity raffle, where local businesses donated
prizes. Total raised - £800.
A bed push around town, where teenagers undertaking
national citizenship service helped. Total raised - £600.
A fairy party, where all guests dressed up as their
favourite fantasy
character, Tinkerbell
was popular! Total
raised - £300.
Face painting at a
local Halloween
festival. Total raised
- £121.
A date in your
diary, where people
paid £1 per date.
When full a date
was drawn out, the
winner got £100 and
the rest went to
Leukaemia CARE.
Total raised - £265.
Tanya still has so
many more
amazing ideas and
with months still to
go before her
marathon journey,
she is sure to raise
a phenomenal
amount.
Good luck Tanya!

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Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:33 Page 13

Winter edition

Make a New Year’s
resolution with a difference
Happy New Year! Time to sweep up the pine needles,
tidy away the decorations and make a New Year’s
resolution. You may have already made some personal
resolutions, but what about making one that could
benefit others, as well as yourself?

Inspirational ideas

If you fancy making a worthwhile pact for 2014, how
about signing up for an event of a lifetime to raise funds
which will help support those with a blood cancer? Only
10% of people actually stick to their New Year’s
resolutions due to lack of motivation or setting
unrealistic targets for themselves. But what better way
to stay motivated than signing up for a once in a lifetime
event and staying on-track with a fundraising target to
help a worthy cause? If you know you have to do it and
you’re doing it for someone else as well as yourself,
you’re more likely to stick to it.
Not only will committing to taking part in a charity event
mean you stick to your New Year’s resolution, but you
will become fitter, healthier, more positive and motivated
as you hit your training and fundraising targets.
Even though community fundraising is a valuable
activity, there are bigger and more exhilarating events
you can get your teeth into. The more exciting and
different your chosen event is, sponsors will be more
interested in sponsoring you for something new and
challenging.
There are events to suit everyone; from the adrenaline
seekers who opt for a skydive, to the stamina hungry
who feel more at home running 26-miles in the London
Marathon and even those who fancy something a bit
different and sailing across the Channel.
Signing up for a charity event can be exciting, but can
also seem daunting when you have to juggle a full-time
job or studies with training and raising money. Joining
Team LC will mean that you get support every step of
the way; from regular updates, hints and tips, to training
vests, t-shirts and support materials to help kick-start
your fundraising and ensure it’s a success.

Virgin Money London Marathon
13th April 2014

Three Peaks Challenge
31st May 2014

Prudential RideLondon
10th August 2014

So, if you’re fed up with making empty New Year’s
resolutions that are already broken before the end of
January, have a go at setting an incredible personal
goal and get yourself involved in a real challenge that
will not only reward you, but will be helping others too.
Good luck!
For more information about our treks, challenges
and events, speak to the fundraising team on
01905 755977 or email [email protected]

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

Trek Kilimanjaro
15th August - 24th August 2014

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Taking on life’s challenges
By Stuart Johnston



Prior to October 2008 I had been leading a very active
life. I was busy working as a HGV mechanic and running
a workshop for Comet plc. I was interested in most
sports, including; motor racing, scuba diving, football
and motorcycles, and I would say I lived life to the full. I
had been suffering with rheumatoid arthritis since 2000,
however this did not limit the things I wanted to do. This
was soon to change.
In November 2008 I attended my usual rheumatology
appointment where my medication was changed from
Methotrexate to a drug called Sulphasalazine. This
change meant I had to have weekly blood tests for the
next two months. Almost immediately, it became
apparent that things were not going quite right as my
white blood cell count started to double every week.
Once my white blood cell count reached 30, my
rheumatologist made a decision to refer me to a
haematologist.
It was only a few days wait until my appointment
however in this time, my white blood cell count
continued to rise. On the day of my appointment, my
white cell count was in three figures. The specialist took
one look at my blood results and swiftly said he would
like to have a look at the bone marrow. I expected him to
say in a few weeks or words to that effect, instead he
said hop onto the bed and we will extract a sample now.
I had to wait a few days for the results where I then
received a phone call from the nurse asking if I could
come in to the clinic the following day. My life stopped,
all rational thought processes I had, ended. This is when
the panic set in, asking myself questions: What if? Why
me? Surely they must have got it wrong or they must
have me mixed up with somebody else?
I will never forget the words the specialist said as we
entered the room. The quietness really amplified the
severity of the situation and I sat there holding my breath
waiting for him to speak. This was it, the moment my life
would change based on what he had to say: “I am sorry
to tell you this Mr. Johnston, but the results from the
bone marrow indicate that you have CML.” At that point I
had no idea what that meant, it was only when I asked
what it was that the consultant said: “Chronic myeloid
leukaemia, a form of blood cancer.”
I felt confused and isolated. I didn’t know whether I was
supposed to laugh or cry, the shock was unbelievable,
one minute I have arthritis, the next I have cancer. What
a week! Treatment started immediately and continued

for the next eight weeks until my white blood cell count
came down to 14. My consultant put me onto imatinib
tablets, which I started taking on 15th May 2009, with a
daily dosage of 400mg. Over the years, it became
apparent that the imatinib was doing its job very well and
that my CML was well under control.
The side effects of imatinib can often limit my day-to-day
functioning, however, with careful planning I can function
relatively well, with fatigue being my biggest problem. I
continue to remain upbeat and confident about my CML,
trusting my team of specialists to do their job, allowing
me to have a relatively normal way of life with
occasional visits to the hospital for routine appointments
with Professor Clarke at Liverpool Royal University
Hospital.
After accepting my illness, I decided the time was right
and proposed to my then long-term girlfriend, Marie. On
7th October that year we got married on a cruise liner.
Marie has been my rock throughout my treatment and
continues to support me 100%, making me realise that
although things had been a little uncertain, stability was
gradually returning to our lives.
Just as things were on the up, in November 2011
lightening struck again. I had been experiencing night
sweats and had a gut feeling that something was wrong.
Eventually I noticed a small lump on one of my testicles,
I tried to block it out by saying to myself “it can’t be”, or
“no it’s not possible.” To put my mind at rest I made an
appointment to see my GP, however this was not the
case. The GP said: “You need to see a urologist ASAP.”
Within 10 days I underwent surgery to remove a testicle.
The results came back from pathology with further
problems. I was then referred to an oncologist at
Liverpool Royal University Hospital again called
Professor Clarke; I was beginning to think that every
consultant in Liverpool had the surname Clarke. I
underwent a CT scan on Christmas Eve to see if the
cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. High intensity
chemotherapy was scheduled to commence on the 4th
January 2012 and a few weeks later, I received a phone
call from my consultant saying he was cancelling the
chemotherapy due to some irregularities, and that I
should go see him to discuss my options.
It turned out that the testicular cancer had been
contained and that treatment could stop for now. He
recommended I be put on a ‘wait and watch’ routine with
regular scans to ensure that any changes would be
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noted and treatments could be
administered if and when required. All
the facts would suggest the cancer
should have spread; yet the scans
showed the complete opposite.
The lymph nodes that should be
enlarged are normal, whilst the
ones in my pelvis are abnormal
and not associated to testicular
cancer. Typical of my body, I had
to be different.
Throughout all of my
experiences I have managed to
remain focused and accept my
situation as well as being
aware of my limitations. My
family and friends have stood
by me every step of the way,
providing vital care and support
when I needed it. They are
amazed at how upbeat I remain
given my situation and are
inspired by my can-do attitude.
Over time I have developed
an interest in psychology
and how the minds works,
so much so that I applied
and was offered a place
as a mature student at
Bolton University to do a
BSC (hons) in psychology
which started in September
2013.
Returning to education has made me
more confident. Everytime I think of it,
I smile! I am eager to learn and
develop a deeper understanding of
humanity and the implications that lifechanging events have upon an
individual. My intentions for the future
are to try and help make a difference to
others who may face a seemingly
impossible or frightening experience.
Without the support from my family,
friends, Leukaemia CARE, the Liverpool
haematology support group and the staff
at the hospital, I would not be the person
I am now. It is only through my personal
experience and support that I feel ready
and capable to take on life’s next challenge.
Thank you all so much.

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

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Winter edition

A simple guide to
tax-effective giving
By Greg Martin, Finance Assistant at Leukaemia CARE
Tax-effective fundraising is vital to the charity sector as it
allows charities to significantly boost their income.
However, according to the Institute of Fundraising,
charities are currently missing out on over £740 million
each year in Gift Aid income alone.
There are many different forms of tax-effective giving (also
known as 'tax-efficient giving'). It can be quite difficult to
get your head around, but whether you’re a fundraiser,
employer or a regular donor, you can do your bit to help
make your charity gift more efficient.

Gift Aid
The most well-known and utilised relief is Gift Aid. When
you make a donation to a charity, they are able to claim
back the tax that you have paid on the donation – it works
out at 25p per £1 that you give. Your donations are eligible
for Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer and you must have
paid an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for
the current tax year that is at least equal to the amount of
tax that the charity will claim on your donation.
So, if you’re fundraising for a charity, don’t forget to
encourage your supporters to tick the Gift Aid box on your
online giving page or sponsorship forms to help you
increase your donation by 25% without costing them a
penny.

Payroll Giving
Payroll Giving is a flexible scheme that enables anyone
who pays UK Income Tax to give regularly and on a taxfree basis to the charities of their choice
Payroll Giving donations are deducted before tax so each
£1 you give will only cost you 80p and if you're a higher
rate tax payer it will only cost you 60p (the taxman pays
the rest!)
Payroll Giving is a valuable, long-term source of revenue
for charities and employees can choose to support any
charity of their choice with a regular donation direct from
their pay. If you want to get involved in payroll giving, it’s
really simple to set up. You just need to speak to your
payroll department at work to get the ball rolling. If your
employer isn’t already part of the scheme, they can
contact us for advice on setting it up.

Gift of Shares
Instead of giving money to your favourite charities, you can

donate shares. This is a very tax-effective way to give to
charity and can make a significant difference to your tax
bill. Giving shares can actually cost you less than giving
cash!
There are two types of tax relief that are potentially
available when you donate shares: Income Tax relief on
the value of the shares and exemption from Capital Gains
Tax – both of which can amount to a substantial tax break.
For example, if you pay income tax at 20%, your income
tax bill would be reduced by 20% of the value of the gift.
There is an organisation called ShareGift which will
manage your gift on your behalf. They specialise in selling
small, unwanted shares to different UK charities and
provide a significant funding stream for the charitable
sector.
If you decide to donate some shares to a charity, the first
step that you should take is to contact the charity and tell
them about your intention to do so. This will enable them
to make the necessary arrangements for your gift and help
the transferral go as smoothly as possible.

Legacies
Some people leave a legacy, or a gift to a charity, in their
will. It is one of the more traditional methods of giving to
charity and according to the Institute of Fundraising, UK
charities receive an estimated £2bn from legacies each
year. Legacy fundraising is a very cost effective way for
charities to raise funds and has the potential to create a
huge income stream for the charity. However, legacy
fundraising can be a sensitive subject so if you’re a
fundraiser, you need to ensure you have not put pressure
on potential donors. A fundraiser should not give legal
advice and should recommend that a potential donor
seeks independent advice.
Most people simply don’t give to charity solely to receive a
tax benefit. They do it for reasons that are beyond any
monetary value and have their own reasons as to why they
are motivated to raise money or give to charity. However, if
you can accomplish the same charitable objective through
tax-efficient giving, it would make sense to utilise this
strategy.

For more information, email
[email protected] or call 08088 010 444.

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Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:34 Page 17

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Watch and Wait
By Dr Faye Kirkland, GP
Many people think all forms of cancer are
treated immediately, yet some types of
leukaemia and related diseases are not
treated in this way. Specialist hospital doctors
may decide to undertake an option called
watch and wait. This is also known as active
monitoring or watchful waiting.
This form of management is normally chosen
when the type of disease is known to
progress very slowly even without treatment,
where the disease is stable or known to be
non-aggressive or where patients are well and
aren’t experiencing physical symptoms
resulting from their disease. They are closely
monitored so if this changes, medication can
be given. An example of where this is
commonly used is with chronic lymphocytic
leukaemia (CLL) patients. CLL is often found
in older patients, incidentally, when routine
blood tests are taken.
Research shows taking a watch and wait
option is very safe. Patients who are regularly
monitored do as well as those who are given
immediate chemotherapy. An advantage is
that it prevents patients having unnecessary
treatments and potential side effects. In
addition, early chemotherapy can lead to
resistance. This is where the medication may
not be as effective if given on another
occasion, when it may really be needed.
Some patients cope well with this treatment
but each person’s response is different. At
such a stressful time, patients often describe
feelings of isolation or anxiety if they are put
on a watch and wait list. They worry this is a
palliative care option, which it isn’t, as active
treatment is given if needed. Concerned
relatives or friends ask why they’re not having

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

immediate medication, which heightens
patient’s anxieties. In many cases, anxiety
often rises from the terminology ‘watch and
wait’. With this in mind, the phrase active
monitoring is more useful.
If you are having this form of treatment, you
will have regular hospital visits. How often you
are seen depends on how stable your illness
is. The doctor will want to know how you’re
feeling, look at your blood test results, along
with an examination. They will discuss the
results with you, so together you can decide
on the best course of action. Patients will
usually benefit if they keep a record of their
results, so they can keep track of how they
are feeling which in turn can help them to
regain some control. It’s also useful to take
someone along with you, as they often
remember information you don’t. Decisions on
your management plan will also be influenced
by your age and overall fitness. In fact, some
patients will never progress to needing
treatment.
The guidelines around watching and waiting
are constantly being reviewed. New methods
are being developed that enable specialists to
identify which patients have a disease that is
likely to progress, and target this group for
early treatment.
An important message to get across is that
you’re not alone at any stage in your
treatment pathway. Your family doctor will be
copied into letters from hospital care and so
will be aware of your situation. Discussing
concerns or questions about your care plan
with your GP, a specialist nurse or doctor is
vital to alleviate any worries, issues or
concerns you might have.

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Winter edition

Healthier cooking
on a budget
By Can Cook Studio
Can Cook is a Food and Cookery Social Enterprise –
set up to tackle the issues surrounding poverty and, in
particular, food poverty. They create sustainable food
businesses; teaching people cookery and life skills,
increasing employability and creating jobs.
We make it our mission to get everyone excited about
food and back into the kitchen creating tasty, homecooked food for themselves. We want to make good
quality food accessible for everyone, no matter what
their background, income or capabilities. We want to
spread the word that cooking good quality meals from
scratch doesn’t have to cost the earth or take up a lot of
time – we also want to show that home cooking is good
for your health and can be something you enjoy.
Here are our tips for eating well on a budget:
Slow cooking
We are big fans of the slow cooker and we promote it
as a money-saving tool for families or individuals living
on a budget, or for those wanting to make the most out
of the food they buy. It’s great for using up leftover veg
to create tasty soups, stews, curries and more and all it
takes is the time to prepare the ingredients and leave
them in the slow cooker to cook. You can buy slow
cookers for around £15 these days and we really
advocate them as a must-have for your kitchen. If you
live alone, make enough for a few days and freeze your
leftovers. Our chefs are currently developing slow
cooker recipes that will be on our blog soon.
Quick cooking
Now to the opposite end of the spectrum – 30 minute,
quick and easy one-pot dishes are something else we
focus on in our training and we’ve given you a couple of
our favourites recipes to try yourself. Chow Mein and
Bolognaise. The sauces we use in these dishes can be
used with all kinds of ingredients so you can substitute
different types of vegetables or meat, depending on
what you feel like – or whatever you have left at the end
of the week!

Make your meals go further
When planning your meals, making big batches of one
staple recipe of bolognaise and adapting it to make
different dishes is a great way of making the most of the
food you buy without having to buy lots of extra
ingredients. For example – the bolognaise recipe on the
next page can be split in two and adapted to make a
chilli con carne with the addition of kidney beans and a
few spices, or poured over pasta with some grated
cheese and breadcrumbs for a tasty pasta bake. We will
have lots of recipes and ideas on our blog for you soon
so keep an eye out.
Top 5 Tips:
1. Cook from scratch as much as you can. Processed
foods may seem cheap but if you cook from scratch
in bulk and freeze, it can work out cheaper. Use our
blog for more recipes and ideas.
2. Don’t buy pre-chopped vegetables – buy individual
vegetables and chop them yourself, it works out a lot
cheaper. You can also freeze any leftovers already
pre-chopped to save yourself time next time you
cook. You can also grate leftover vegetables into
soups/stews to thicken and add in any extra
goodness and flavour.
3. Buy your meat from a butcher rather than prepacked chicken breasts, thighs etc. It is a lot cheaper
and can save on waste, especially if you don’t have
many people to cook for.
4. Substitute meat for beans or lentils e.g. in a
shepherds pie – use ½ lentils, ½ mince – this will cut
down on cost and increase the nutritional quality of
the dish.
5. Make a staple recipe or sauce and use it across a
couple of dishes as we have described above with
our bolognaise sauce.
www.cancook.co.uk
www.foodpoverty.wordpress.com
Twitter: @foodpoverty @cancookstudio

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Two Tasty Recipes
Sweet Chilli and Soy Chow Mein
Ingredients
• 1 tbls sunflower oil
• ½ small onion, peeled and sliced
• 50g mange tout, sliced
• ¼ red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 25g courgettes, sliced
• 3-4 mushrooms
• ½ carrot, sliced thinly into matchsticks
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 50g bean sprouts
• 120g cooked egg noodles
• ½ a cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
• ½ tbls light soy sauce
• 1 tbls sweet chilli sauce
Equipment to use
• A sharp knife
• A chopping board
• A large frying pan or wok
• A large saucepan
• A wooden spoon
• A mixing bowl
• A measuring jug
How to make it......
Step 1 Heat a large frying pan with the sunflower oil until
very hot and add the onions, mange tout, pepper,
courgettes, mushrooms and carrot. Cook for 2-3
minutes.
Step 2 Now add the garlic and ginger and continue to
cook for 1 minute. Add the bean sprouts, noodles
and chicken followed by the brown sugar, soy
sauce and sweet chilli sauce mixture. Continue to
cook for 1 minute.
Step 3 When ready - check for seasoning and add a little
more soy sauce if needed.

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

Bolognaise
Ingredients
• 1 large onion peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 large carrot peeled and grated
• 1 large courgette grated
• 100g mushrooms sliced
• 400g minced beef
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 200ml water
• 2 tbls tomato puree
• 1 tsp mixed dry herbs
• 1 cube beef stock
• 2 tbls oil
• salt and pepper to taste
serves 4 approx £1 per portion
Equipment to use
• A large pan
• A sharp knife
• A chopping board
• A measuring jug
How to make it......
Step 1 Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mince until well
browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Drain the oil from the pan leaving about 2 tbls and
add the onions and garlic to the pan and continue
to cook over a medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Step 2 Add the tomato puree and cook for 1 minute
before adding the chopped tomatoes, water and
stock cube, then bring to a simmer and add the
carrots, courgettes, mushrooms, beef and herbs.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes with the lid off, adding a
little water if needed.
Step 3 When the bolognaise is ready - add salt and
pepper to taste (if its too thick add a little water
and if it is too loose, continue to cook). Serve with
pasta of your choice.
Step 4 If you have any left over you can add a little chilli
powder, cumin and some kidney beans to it and
re-heat to serve as a chilli con carne with rice.

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Winter edition

Going the extra mile
By Richard Perry



Cancer has been a part of Richard’s life ever since his
best friend died from leukaemia in infant school at the
age of six years. Here, he tells us why he’s more
motivated than ever to raise money for charity.
In 1993, when I was at infant school, my best friend at
the time, Martin Brown, was diagnosed with leukaemia.
This was a huge shock to everyone, including me as I
had never really heard of leukaemia before, let alone
had anyone I know receive a diagnosis. After a heavy
and long-winded process, he eventually responded well
to the chemotherapy and for a while it seemed he was
cured. Sadly though, soon after he was given the all
clear, he died from an infection. It was strange not
having Martin around anymore, but I eventually came to
terms with losing my friend.
Losing Martin was the first experience I ever had with
cancer, but little did I know, this wouldn’t be the last
time. Just over ten years later in 2004, my father was
diagnosed with suspected prostate cancer. However,
he died in 2008 as a result of a malignant brain tumour,
which he didn't even know he had.
Three years later, in 2011, my mother was diagnosed
with Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma which meant it was
not only in her lymphatic system throughout her body,
but also in her bones and bone marrow. By this time
you would have thought I would be able to deal with
receiving the news that someone I know has been
diagnosed with cancer – but it never gets any easier.
My mother is now in remission and is getting on with
her life, living with the effects of intense chemotherapy,
more radiation in her body than normal from lots of
scans and suffering from weak joints and muscles.
Through all of this it's safe to say... cancer is not my
friend.
So, this brings me round to more recent times and in
March 2012, I decided that I wanted to run the 2013
Virgin Money London Marathon in order to help support
all that has happened to me over the years and give
something back to the charities that help people just like
me.
I’ve been a filmmaker since I was young and I strongly
believe in a story’s structure, i.e. a beginning, middle
and end. I decided to start at the beginning and run for
Leukaemia CARE and run in aid of my friend Martin.

After being accepted to run in the race, I was working
harder than ever with my training - running 50-miles a
week through the rain, sun and snow. I was hitting
many half marathons including Marlow, Henley,
Wokingham and Bramley. Sadly though, despite all of
my training and best efforts, it wasn’t my fate to run in
2013.
On March 15th 2013, the Friday of the weekend I was
due to run the Reading Half Marathon (my local town), I
got rushed into A&E after seeing the GP with severe
headaches, memory loss and the inability to read, write
and understand anything anyone was saying. After
having a CT scan and MRI, it was revealed I had an
abscess on the left side of my brain (the part that sends
signals of language and memories). My mother tells
me I was like a young person with severe dementia. I
got rushed to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, which,
luckily for me, is one of the best neuroscience hospitals
in the UK. That very same evening in A&E I had
emergency brain surgery and the abscess was
removed. It took me roughly four days after the
operation to fully understand what had happened and
after taking everything in, I realised that what I went
through was actually quite scary.
It's all been a bit touch and go but I'm now back and on
the mend. I underwent a further six weeks of
intravenous antibiotics which I had to take twice daily
through a PICC line in my arm which meant sadly I
couldn’t run and unfortunately I couldn’t take part in
2013 London Marathon the following month.
It was heartbreaking to hear the news as I trained
unbelievably hard and was looking forward to the event.
Running for a cause such as Leukaemia CARE gave
me such a huge amount of motivation as I was running
for Martin, my best friend from when I was little who he
had so much of his life to live.
However, after speaking to Leukaemia CARE and
pleading my case they have very kindly let me run in
the 2014 race. This was fantastic news as I was worried
I'd let all my donors down. Now I’m back on the road
and training hard again.
Hopefully I’ll be luckier this time round and fate will
permit me to run in April. It’s been tough getting back
into it but safe to say I’m more motivated than ever.

CARE Line 24 hour freephone

20

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and major mobile networks

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:34 Page 21

Winter edition

If you would like to donate to Richard,
you can visit his online giving page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RichardPerry96

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

21

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:34 Page 22

Winter edition

Face cancer
with
confidence
By Look Good Feel Better
Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) is the Beauty and
Fragrance Industry’s flagship charity, formed 20 years
ago specifically to help women and teenagers combat
the visible side effects of their cancer treatment.
After the shock of being diagnosed with cancer and
starting treatment, many women struggle with the
physical changes to their appearance. LGFB
workshops help in the most practical and positive way,
restoring levels of confidence effectively.
LGFB runs free skincare and make-up workshops in
over 70 hospital and cancer support centres nationwide
hosted by volunteer beauty consultants. After two
hours, the group of 12-15 ladies leave smiling and full of
renewed self-confidence. Each attendee is given a gift
bag of donated products which she is shown how to use
by following a 12 step guide, which can then can be
enjoyed at home. The LGFB programme is designed to
provide a very natural look suitable for all skin tones.
Ladies undergoing cancer treatment understand they
may lose their head hair but to lose eyelashes and
eyebrows can simply be too much. Here, LGFB shares
some of the tips and advice about this all important eye
area. The below are taken from the LGFB website
www.lgfb.co.uk and a full 12 step guide is fully
demonstrated in the LGFB Confidence Kit – a self-help
DVD and booklet which can be used at home.
Concealer
For dark areas dot concealer where needed, for
example, shadows under eyes. Use your finger tips to
blend the concealer, pressing into your skin. A greenbased colour corrector can be used sparingly to reduce
reddening and even out skin tone.
Tip: A 'standard' concealer hides dark circles and
broken capillaries. A second 'green' concealer can tone
down redness and flushing.
Eyeshadow
Use different techniques to define and brighten your
specific eye shape and colour.
Tip: Beauty Advisers are really friendly and experts in
making the best of your appearance. Have a chat to
one in your local department store for their tips for your
eye shape and for personalised advice. Use different
colours in a palatte to open your eyes and define the
eyelash line.

Eyeliner
If you are using a pencil, start by rolling it on the back of
your hand to warm and soften it before applying. This
will define and shade the eyeline creating the
appearance of eye lashes that might have been lost
through treatment. Draw a thin line along the upper lid
and from the centre of the lower lid outwards and soften
with a cotton bud. If you have difficulty doing this, draw
dots on the lash-line and then blend with a cotton bud to
achieve the same effect.
Tip: Eye liner pencils are generally easier to apply then
liquid liners and give a softer finish.
Eyebrows
Eyebrows frame the face and can help other features
come to life. A brow pencil or brush can be used to
create, fill or define eyebrows. Plot the 'three' points of
your brow. Use short, feathery strokes along the natural
arch of the brow to create an illusion of hairs and blend
with a brush to soften. You can add more fullness to the
inner edge and thin out towards the outer edge.
Tip: Choose a shade that is the same colour as, or
slightly lighter than, your head hair.
Mascara
Use the mascara tip to gently
colour the lashes of the lower
lid first, then use the whole
mascara brush to apply
colour onto the upper lashes,
using a slight wiggling
movement along the lashes
to catch all the hairs and to
prevent the mascara
clogging.
Tip: Use the tip and full brush
to highlight the lashes- they
might be light and hardly
visible but the mascara
colours the hair that it touches. It’s a good idea to use
non-waterproof mascara that can be removed gently
and easily, but if you find that your eyes become ‘teary’
after treatment, waterproof mascara is fine as long as
you remove it gently. For thinning or newly re-growing
lashes, it’s best to use non-fibrous mascara as fibre
building products are often too heavy for fine lashes.
For information about LGFB, to find a free skincare and
make-up workshop near you or to order the LGFB
Confidence Kit, visit www.lgfb.co.uk or call 01372
CARE Line 24 hour freephone

22

08088 010 444
Free from landlines and major mobile networks

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:34 Page 23

Winter edition

Looking back, moving forward
By Albert Podesta, Chairman
The Trustees Report and Financial Statements for 2012/13
were approved on the 5th October at the AGM. For those
interested, the full document can be downloaded from our
website. We are able to report a significant improvement in
financial performance in the year. The surplus generated will
be reinvested into the charity to help provide vital support
services to anyone affected by a blood cancer.
This would not have been possible without the work of our
extraordinary fundraisers, CARE volunteers and staff who
have all worked hard to enable the charity to continue
providing its key services.

Our conferences continue to go from strength-to-strength
and receive positive feedback. Most recently, our Nurse’s
Professional Development Day offered seven hours of
accreditation towards their continuing professional
development.

In January 2013, we launched our new online livechat
service, providing support during working hours. This
attracted an international audience from the USA, Pakistan
and Denmark as well as those closer to home such as
Bristol, Cardiff and Oxford. Although we do not have
detailed information of blood cancer services in other
countries, thanks to the work of Tony Gavin, our Director of
Campaigning and Advocacy, we play an active part in
worldwide networks of patient advocates who have more
local knowledge. We will always signpost callers as well as
providing emotional support during the call, regardless of
where they are from.

The combination of medical experts, patient speakers and
less conventional sessions such as communication skills
and role play with an acting company or the laughter
workshop always proves to be popular.
Other highlights include the launch of Patient Journals in
Lanarkshire, Forth Valley and Aberdeen as well as our
support group in Worcester which recently celebrated its
first birthday. Our advocacy service for individuals has
provided ongoing support to over 50 patients and carers.

CROSSWORD

We continue to address gaps in knowledge and have
published two new information booklets in our ‘Step-byStep’ range; ‘myelofibrosis (MF)’ and ‘essential
thromobocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV). We
work closely with clinical nurse specialists (CNS) and
patients to produce accessible information.
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© Brainwarp

www.leukaemiacare.org.uk

Expressions of love (6)
The Milky Way (6)
Fruit (4)
Misbehaving (6,2)
One fathom (3,4)
Handle (5)
Power (5)
Childhood ailment (7)
Way out of bunker (4,4)
Filled flat-bread (4)
Photographic fault (3-3)
Bramley apple (6)

DOWN

17

21

ACROSS
7
8
9
10
11
13
15
16
18
19
21
22

8

7

11

Many thanks to everyone who filled in the questionnaire
sent with the last issue of journey. We aim to build on our
achievements and look forward to reporting back on the
outcome of our consultation on services, held this Autumn,
in the New Year.

1
2
3
4
5
6
12
14
17
20

Flightless bird (4)
Part of Kent (4,2,7)
Breaks out (7)
Chalcedony (5)
Actor and director (5,8)
Apology (6,2)
Waters off Holyhead (5,3)
Salad vegetable (7)
Impudence (5)
Experts (4)

23

Magazine WINTER 2013_Layout 1 20/12/2013 12:34 Page 24

CYCLE THE DISTANCE
AND HELP SUPPORT THOSE WITH
A BLOOD CANCER,
PEDAL BY PEDAL.

WE HAVE
CHARITY PLACES
AVAILABLE for the
Prudential Ridelondon
Sunday 10th August 2014

BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW...
leukaemiacare.org.uk/ridelondon
or call the fundraising team
on 01905 755977

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