As Perry Judd slowly pedalled over the ending line on the prestigious Grafton to Inverell Cycle Basic in 2013, supposedly within the type of his life however someway lagging far behind the competitors, he knew one thing wasn’t proper.
Bodily exhausted, Perry feared he had glandular fever, however a blood check revealed one thing far more harmful.
The then 37-year-old defined: “I had a name from the GP: ‘Please come and see me, we have to speak urgently. It is advisable to are available straight away’.
“I used to be recognized with acute myeloid leukaemia. The shock is what hits you. One day I was looking forward to all sorts of normal things, and the next minute it’s all completely up in the air. You’re sitting in a hospital bed wondering what does this all mean for me.”
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a type of blood cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. It is characterised by an over production of immature white blood cells, which crowd the bone marrow and disrupt the creation of normal blood cells. Each year in Australia about 1330 people are diagnosed with AML, mainly men aged over 60.
Perry’s genetic tests revealed his blood cancer was very dangerous to him, and he would need immediate high-dose chemotherapy and eventually a stem cell transplant.
A stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant, repopulates bone marrow damaged by disease and treatment with healthy blood stem cells.
The father-of-two said: “It was definitely a journey for me to become aware of what it meant and what the likely treatment options would look like.
“The initial shock was pretty severe because not only did I have to cope with the fact I had leukaemia but it was the worst kind. I was in hospital for a good three months solid without even leaving the ward.
“My sense of control got less and less, but I still tried to hang on to it all the way through the journey. There is certainly a time where the balance shifts [to] simply letting others help you and make selections for you.
“Relinquishing a few of that management was fairly an essential step for me. Partly it occurred organically, by the very fact I used to be so sick and so drained. But additionally, it’s a aware resolution to belief these round you that know and may see the way you’re feeling, and the way you’re coping with issues or typically not coping with issues.”
Happily, docs discovered a donor who was a full match for Perry’s destroyed stem cells: his brother.
Perry added: “Things started to be good news, on balance, rather than bad news. That included finding out my brother was a full match and that I was finally in remission.”
Planning for a future after cancer
After his transplant, Perry began to plan for a different future. He said: “The rest of the journey was just a very, very slow-burn recovery. Once I was home, it was about spending time with family again.
“I would have routines like walking my kids to school every day and trying to just spend time with friends and family.
“I did spend a lot of time on the couch, and I actually went out and upgraded my stereo system and got a little bit selfish!
“You start to think about the things in life that I really get pleasure from and you tend to try to gravitate towards those to make up for some of the lost time.
“You can’t underestimate enough how important it is to have your friends and family around you, and to be grateful for the fact you’ve got them.”
Returning to work after cancer
Physiotherapist Perry was off work for two years during his treatment and recovery, rebuilding his strength to rejoin the workforce in a part time capacity.
Perry, a keen cyclist who went on to compete in the 24th World Transplant Games in Perth, said: “I had to build myself up very slowly in terms of energy levels and routines. The mental fog and fatigue you get from going through something like this is easy to underestimate. I don’t think I could concentrate properly for quite a long time.
“I was lucky enough that I had superannuation income protection that would cover me for the two years that I was off, as well as whatever the balance of my role would be when I returned.
“I started out two days a week, and, ironically, I got a role on a project at the Royal Brisbane Hospital in the physio department where I could look out the window and see [my] outdated room within the most cancers care constructing!”
Sharing most cancers recommendation
Greater than a decade on, Perry urges others recognized with blood most cancers to “be mild” on themselves.
He added: “Let it occur. Belief your crew, belief your loved ones and pals round you. Keep in mind that it’s a journey and that journey has an finish; when you’re out the opposite aspect and also you’re trying again, you’ll realise it was a part in your life.
“It doesn’t outline me. I’ve discovered so much about myself and about a variety of issues, and I feel I’ve come out the higher for it. I wouldn’t essentially want to undergo it once more but it surely’s only one loopy random factor that occurred.
“Settle for it as a part of the journey of being human. You don’t grow to be a leukaemia sufferer, you’re you, and leukaemia is one thing that occurred to you sooner or later in your life. And that’s how I really feel about it.”
Perry shares far more about his analysis, remedy, stem cell transplant and highway to restoration on our in style Speaking Blood Most cancers podcast. Stream and subscribe now in your favorite podcast service.