Jake Andrade was first diagnosed with leukaemia as a 13-year-old, before relapsing aged 19. Now 21, he tells us about the goals he set to help him through his second treatment and recovery, and how he has published a book to help other young people with cancer.
I was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in March 2016. After four rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a bone marrow transplant, I was in remission and given the all-clear in October. My five-year remission period was probably the best five years of my life so far! I’d made a great recovery, resuming my paper round shortly after being discharged. I was back at school by January 2017, and completed my GCSEs in the same year as my classmates in 2018. By April 2019, I was taken off my ‘lifelong’ medication, and by October that year, my already decreasing hospital appointments turned yearly.
I soon began a weekend job, alongside studying for my A-Levels, which I completed in 2020. A late effects clinic a few months later found I’d suffered no damage from my previous treatment. Clearly, my hospital days were behind me, and I had no health problems at all! While I still attended appointments once a year, hospital was no longer a prominent part of my life. Lockdown during the COVID pandemic encouraged me to become more active, and I started running and weightlifting. I began driving lessons and studying Politics and History at the University of Suffolk.
Determined to remain positive
By October 2021, the publishing process of my book, which recounts my journey with AML, was underway. However, that same month, my five-year remission period all came crashing down. A routine blood test found I was mysteriously neutropenic, which meant I was prone to infections. After a couple of months of declining blood cells, this was finally investigated with a bone marrow biopsy in December 2021. Unfortunately, this confirmed that my AML had returned. I was required to undergo two more rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a second bone marrow transplant.
My relapse was a devastating and shocking blow to me, and couldn’t have come at a worse time. I was living my life to the fullest. I was at university, working, learning to drive, had a social life and my book was in the final editing stage, close to publishing. And, just like that, leukaemia attempted to sweep all that away from me – again. But I wouldn’t allow it.
I saw the progress of my five-year remission period as my inspiration and was determined to remain positive. I’d done it once and I could do it again. This was just a bump in the road, and once I’d finished treatment, I would just pick up where I left off. I decided to stay on at university throughout my second treatment. I didn’t leave my job, but instead, I went off sick, hoping to return in the future. My driving lessons were put on hold, but I’d come back to them. And, while I was upset about all the time and money I’d devoted to my book, I couldn’t possibly publish it anymore as I now had more chapters to write!
Making a list
Before treatment started again, I compiled a list of my reasons to live. These reasons contained my goals, which acted as my motivation to get through treatment. Some of my goals were long-term, such as seeing my book get published or to graduate, and some of my goals were short-term, such as eating Chinese food to celebrate being discharged. Before transplant, I also set myself some shorter-term post-transplant goals with ideal timeframes, which included resuming my driving lessons, finishing my second year of university with a First, and returning to work. These three aims would work as a launchpad for me to get closer to my much bigger list of reasons to live that I’d written in December 2021 before treatment commenced.
Treatment was gruelling. Not only did I have chemotherapy, but I also had to undergo radiotherapy and my second bone marrow transplant was a lot more complicated as my dad was my donor. I got through it again, though, and I entered remission for a second time after my transplant in April 2022.
Achieving my aims and looking to the future
By November, my three post-transplant goals were complete. I completed my second year of university with a First, and I’d resumed my driving lessons in the summer. I returned to work, temporarily going off sick again due to graft versus host disease (GvHD), but I was back again a few months later. In January this year, I passed my driving test. Finally, my book, ‘My Leukaemia Fight’ – with its manuscript having doubled in size since my second diagnosis – was officially published in February 2023!
In terms of my health, I’m still struggling. My bone marrow is quite fragile, and my blood counts sometimes drop to dangerous levels. I’m still suffering badly from GvHD, and receive extracorporeal photopheresis twice a month, which involves me being attached to a machine to treat my GvHDcausing cells. I’m also struggling with the physical and mental effects of my second treatment. The fear of relapse will always be there, and I’m exhausted by my previous chemotherapy, made worse by the steroids I currently take to combat my GvHD. However, things are getting better, and I’ve progressed to monthly hospital clinic appointments. The treatment and steroids have caused fatigue and weight gain, and I now attend physiotherapy appointments to get me active again. This will take a while, but I’m making the small steps to get better!
Just like when I relapsed, I haven’t let my health disrupt my progress in life. I’ve now completed all three years of university, finishing with a first-class degree, and I look forward to graduating in October this year. I’m currently looking for a job before I start my master’s degree in history next year. Alongside work and studies, I’m also working on promoting ‘My Leukaemia Fight’. I wrote my book to help and inspire other patients and families going through something similar, as well as to provide interest and spread awareness to the wider public. I hope my book shows that you can make progress and bounce back after a devastating cancer diagnosis!
If you’d like to get in touch, please email me at jake.andrade2908@gmail.com
From Contact magazine issue 100 - Autumn 2023
