A dad who was left with "no strength whatsoever" and struggled to walk due to the intensive treatment for leukaemia is now setting his sights on conquering the London Marathon. Stephen Hughes, 47, from Penrhyn Bay in Wales, was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL), a rare form of blood cancer, on April 12, 2017, after suffering from back pain that he felt "deep inside (his) bones".
He recalls the day he received his diagnosis as if it were yesterday, describing how it completely turned his life "upside down". His immediate concern was for his two children Elan, 17, and Harri, 14. The police officer said: "I was so convinced that I was just going to pop there and get this test to confirm, 'yes, everything's fine', that I didn't say goodbye properly to the children.
The fear that he might never see them again was overwhelming for him. Stephen later discovered that his doctor had initially doubted he would "make it through the weekend".
However, during his treatment, he made a vow to focus on improving his fitness and dedicating more time to his children. After spending six weeks in hospital, enduring numerous chemotherapy sessions and receiving multiple blood transfusions, at times taking up to 25 tablets a day, he was informed he was in remission in July 2017 and continued his treatment at home.
Despite intensive treatments that left him struggling to walk even five minutes up his local path, Stephen's determination to regain a sense of normality saw him gradually build up his strength. Now, although Stephen still attends regular check-ups due to the risk of relapse, he's delighted to have his life has returned to normal, and in a "moment of madness", he's signed up to run the London Marathon for the charity Leukaemia UK.
While he admits to being "a million miles away" from considering himself a runner, he's "giving it a good shot" and feels fitter and stronger than ever. "When I look back, there's a path that runs next to our house, and I went for a walk to try and watch my son play football it was literally a five-minute walk but by the time I got there, I couldn't stay, I was just so tired," he said.
"I had to turn around and come back again and I slept for hours, absolutely hours." So to go from that experience to now even contemplating running a marathon, I'm quite proud of myself."
Discussing the fundraiser, he added: "If it helps even one person who finds themselves in the same situation, if it helps them with the treatment and the research that Leukaemia UK carry out, then it would all be worth it." Stephen's cancer journey started in November 2016 when he began experiencing back pain.
Initially, this was "nothing of great concern" as he had experienced intermittent back pain in the years prior. However, the discomfort continued and increased in severity over the following months.
On Mother's Day in March 2017, during an outing with his wife Catherine, 50, and two children, Stephen said the pain was "horrendous" and he could "barely walk", prompting a visit to his GP. The doctor advised him to go to the A&E department at Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital in Bangor, North Wales, where he had blood and urine tests, and these investigations continued for several weeks.
On April 10, Stephen's GP called to say he had noticed his blood levels had been dropping with every test, and he was subsequently referred to the North Wales Cancer Unit at Glan Clwyd hospital in Denbighshire. It was here, on April 12, that his APL diagnosis was confirmed.
"Strangely, that morning, I'd woken up with no back pain for the first time in weeks, which was bizarre, but I think I'd convinced myself that the blood was just a side effect of the strong painkillers I'd been taking," Stephen said. "So when we got to the cancer unit, it suddenly dawned on me that it was something possibly more serious."
That same day, on April 12, Stephen had a bone marrow biopsy taken from the base of his spine, which was "horrific", and he then received the official APL diagnosis hours later. "Your whole world is literally turned upside down in a matter of a few hours," Stephen said.
"I was so convinced that there was actually nothing wrong with my blood... so to then be told, literally a few hours later, that actually, 'no, you've got cancer, you've got this life-threatening illness', was just unbelievable. Shock doesn't cover it really, it was just horrific."
Once Stephen had "overcome that initial shock", he said his next reaction was: "How do I beat this thing then." He began his treatment straight away, which involved multiple rounds of chemotherapy resulting in hair loss, nausea, and severe fatigue and took medication, staying in the hospital for six weeks.
In July 2017, he received the news that he was in remission and then carried on with his treatment at home for another two months. However, due to his "immune system being shot to bits" and an "overwhelming feeling of weakness", he found himself barely able to walk. It wasn't until September 2017, when his wife and children went back to work and school, that he truly began to feel the weight of his diagnosis, battling with a "feeling of isolation" and frustration.
"Everything seems to be returning to normal, life is returning to normal, and I just felt a million miles from normal that's when it really hit me," Stephen recounted. When you're in treatments, and you're having this chemotherapy, I was making all these promises to myself if I get through this, then I'm going to be fit, I'm going to be healthy, I'm going to spend more time with the kids."
"But I was getting frustrated with myself that, you've been told you're in remission and the cancer is gone, but you're not living up to the promises that you made to yourself because you just have no energy. I couldn't do anything." After visiting his local gym, Stephen's fitness and health improved and he has challenged himself to complete the 2024 TCS London Marathon in April.
He is raising money for the charity Leukemia UK and wants to raise awareness and inspire others. "When I look back now, the period of treatments itself was difficult the feeling of absolutely no strength whatsoever, no stamina, going for a short walk would just wipe me out," he said.
"But it was manageable because I had such good family and friends around to support me through that process. My wife was incredible... while I was lying in my hospital bed, hooked up to a chemotherapy machine, she was rushing around left, right and centre, making sure that life was carrying on as normal for the kids."
"At the end of the day, it puts everything in perspective that your health is the priority. If you've got your health, then everything else really is secondary to that."
To donate or find out more, visit Stephen's fundraiser here: justgiving.com/fundraising/stephen-hughes026.
