A HALE business owner and mum-of-one has opened up about living with a rare blood cancer to help raise awareness during Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September.
Faye Bala, 38, has been living with Essential Thrombocythaemia (ET) a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow since she was 16.
But it’s only been in the last year that’s she’s started openly talking about this with her friends and to clients at the beauty salon. Faye says her posts and videos have not only had a great response but have helped her come to terms with her diagnosis.
Faye manages her blood cancer well and has regular check-ups.
Faye, who grew up in Scotland before moving to Greater Manchester, initially realised something was not quite right as a schoolgirl in Aberdeen. She used to have horrendous headaches which were so severe that she felt exhausted and needed to lie down every day as soon as she got home from school. Initially she was given glasses, but the problem persisted until one day she collapsed at home.
Blood tests then revealed she had a high number of blood cells called platelets.
Faye said: “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 Thrombocythaemia (ET) – is now classified as a type of blood cancer.”
Faye was put on Hydroxycarbamide – a mild oral chemotherapy – for a short time to get her platelets back down. After this Faye was moved onto Asprin and managed without the chemotherapy drug for years.
In 2018 she became pregnant with daughter Olive and was still managing well when she went through her pregnancy. However, a few years later after Olive was born she began to get the headaches again and on one occasion temporarily lost her speech.
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 need 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 OK. And this time around I read everything about it and am an expert on my platelet levels!”
Now Faye manages her blood cancer well and has regular check-ups at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Most people were unaware of her cancer until she began to talk about it. She also took on a dog walking challenge for charity.
Faye, who lives in Horwich, said: “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.
“My first post got a big reaction, and I realised that sometimes I don’t appreciate quite what a big thing it is I’m dealing with! That has really helped me. So now when I have days where I feel tired, I know it is OK and to listen to my body. I think sharing posts has helped me to process the diagnosis a bit more and I’ve had messages saying they’ve helped other people which is why I do it.
“The NHS staff at MFT are amazing and with their help I lead a pretty normal life. I just need to listen to my body and have rest days sometimes.
“It’s good to appreciate that everyone dealing with cancer is going through something different. I’d always advise that if you don’t feel well or something doesn’t feel right, there’s no harm in going to your GP.”
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, Essential Thrombocythaemia.
“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 which last for more than three weeks and seek advice from your GP if you are concerned.
“Cancer treatments and research have come on leaps and bounds compared to what many people may have in their minds from say, 10 or 20 years ago.
“It’s very important to seek help as soon as possible if you think something is amiss.
“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.”
