Being diagnosed with CML has lead Gil Goldthorpe to reassess her life and discover an inner strength
Gil Goldthorpe was preparing to embark on the adventure of her lifetime – emigrating to Australia – when she tragically embarked on a very different journey to her intended one.
“The final stage of the emigration process is an extensive medical examination,” recalls Gil. “But a routine eye test had to be followed up by a visit to an opthalmologist which revealed I had retinopathy, a symptom of diabetes.” Unhappy with her potential diagnosis, Gil was sent for blood tests to establish whether she had diabetes. The tests resulted in an out-of-hours call from her doctor’s receptionist instructing her to go to Ward 24 at her local hospital the next day.
“My 10-year old son’s school was closed so I had to take him with me to the hospital,” says Gil. “When we finally found Ward 24 the sign over the door read chemotherapy. My legs turned to jelly and I thought that someone had made a huge mistake – why on earth would I be sent there for a diabetes diagnosis?”
After contacting a friend to take her son home, Gil was seen by a doctor who calmly told her she had cancer. Gil went into complete shock and told the doctor that he must have made a mistake as she didn’t feel ill and had been diagnosed with diabetes. “It was surreal, I couldn’t see or hear the doctor speaking and l felt as though I was being sucked down a tunnel with a small spot of light at the end.”
Gil was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and she was told that, depending on her reaction to her treatment, she might have just weeks to live. “The first treatment made me feel very ill,” she explains. “The shock diagnosis and the toxicity of the drugs meant that I struggled with everyday life and the twice weekly visits to hospital. I was very angry because I had cancer and my Australian dream had been taken away. Why me?”
To help her cope with her anger and all the other emotions that go with the diagnosis and treatment of CML, Gil contacted Leukaemia CARE.
“I was afraid and couldn’t see a future,” reveals Gil. “Leukaemia CARE listened to me and were a huge support. They also helped me help my husband as he was as shocked as I was. We learnt to be there for each other: he is my hero.”
Gil started the drug imatinib as her main treatment and, initially, it worked really well, sending her into remission within three months. The side effects, unfortunately, made Gil feel quite ill. “I felt sick most of the time and had fluid retention all over my body. However, I took the drug for 14 months before it had to be changed.”
In September 2008 Gil started the drug dasatinab. This treatment proved to be very successful and by January 2009 she had turned a corner both health wise and emotionally. “I had to change my life and make my own future so I decided that 2009 would be my year,” recalls Gil.
Reading an article in journey about Chanelle Rogers, a fellow CML patient, who, despite her diagnosis had gone on to study at university, inspired Gil to reassess her life. “The side effects of the drug were not too bad and I was feeling well both physically and emotionally so decided to undertake a fundraising drive which lasted the whole year,” she says.
Gil went on to organise a garden fete, take part in Race for Life and model in a fashion show. Her husband and son also did a charity bike ride and took part in It’s a Knockout-style charity event competition. Gil’s fundraising year raised about £10,000 for cancer charities.
Going from strength to strength, Gil then decided to follow her lifelong ambition of working with animals and studied for a Diploma in Animal Care which she passed with a Distinction. “I’m very proud of my fundraising achievements and particularly delighted with my new life as a student,” she says.
This year, despite the fact that her CML is no longer under control, Gil has started a National Diploma in Animal Management. “My CML seems to have invited all its friends round and they’re having a party,” she jokes. Gil has had to stop all chemotherapy treatment and is now waiting to hear if a bone marrow match can be found. “My consultant says that my CML can be kept stable but I need a bone marrow transplant within the next year,” she explains.
However, despite Gil’s next challenge to find a match she remains positive and says that her CML experience has taught her a great deal. “I had to reassess what I was doing and take my CML and make it work for me. I am more confident now than ever before and I am able to achieve more than if I had not been diagnosed with CML,” she says. Gil firmly believes that if you can take control of your life and not let leukaemia control you, then you’ll be the winner.
