Scots mum opens up after gruelling 22-year long battle with cancer after being diagnosed as teen

A Scots mum has opened up on a gruelling 22-year-long battle with cancer.

Faye Bala, 38, from Aberdeen, has been living with Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) – a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow – since she was just 16. She has told how her school days in the Granite City led to the diagnosis that would change her life as she campaigns this month as part of Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

Although the businesswoman, who now lives in Horwich, Greater Manchester, has had the disease for so long, she has only recently begun having conversations about her illness with friends and clients. Faye, who owns a beauty salon, said her social media posts and videos have not only had a great response but have helped her come to terms with her diagnosis.

While at school, Faye suffered from terrible headaches which were so severe that she felt exhausted and needed to lie down every day as soon as she got home from school. She was initially given glasses, but the problem persisted until one day she collapsed at home and later blood tests revealed she had a high number of blood cells called platelets.

Faye told Manchester Evening News: “When I was 16, I was diagnosed with a blood disorder. At the time my doctor in Aberdeen told me not to Google it as it might scare me and that it had connections with cancer.

“Since then, the classification has changed and my blood disorder – known as Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) – is now classified as a type of blood cancer.”

The shock diagnosis meant that Faye required treatment was put on Hydroxycarbamide – a mild oral chemotherapy – for a short time to get her platelets back down. She was then moved onto aspirin and managed without the chemotherapy drug for years.

In 2018 she became pregnant with daughter Olive and was still managing well during her pregnancy. But the headaches returned a few years later and on one occasion temporarily lost her ability to speak.

She said: “I couldn’t get my mouth to work. It was really scary. I told my doctor straight away and was sent for a CT scan and tests. My platelets were high again and the doctors decided I needed to go back on Hydroxycarbamide on a more permanent basis.

“Back when I was 16, they had been worried about the side effects if you stayed on it too long but now, 18 years later, there’s been a lot more research and it’s okay. And this time around I read everything about it and am an expert on my platelet levels.”

Faye added: “I’ve always thought of it as a rare blood disease so it took a bit of time for me to come to terms with calling it cancer as I know for some people cancer can be life-threatening. Many of my clients were surprised to know I’d had this cancer for 22 years and it has been a useful taking point. There are so many different types of cancer.

“For me, it’s something I can live with and something I’ve always had to deal with.”

Symptoms of ET include persistent headaches, dizziness or ringing in the ears (tinnitus), numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, burning pain, changes in feeling, or redness in the hands or feet, cold or blue fingers or toes. tiredness. difficulty concentrating, changes in vision, itchy skin and bone pain.

Suzanne Roberts, who is Clinical Lead for Blood Cancers at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, said: “I’d like to thank Faye for talking about what it is like to live with her type of blood cancer. There are many types of blood cancer. More well-known types include types of Leukaemia and Lymphoma.

“You should take particular notice of persistent and unexplained symptoms that last for more than three weeks and seek advice from your GP if you are concerned. On many occasions, this won’t turn out to be cancer, but we know that if a patient has symptoms that do turn out to be cancer, the earlier it’s diagnosed the better.”

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