Sheffield grandad of-two who survived New Year's cancer diagnosis now working for hospital that saved him
“I decided I wanted to do something more worthwhile with my life”
A grandad-of-two who thought he just had a "bad cold" over Christmas was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and now works for the hospital which saved his life.
Ashley Grey, aged 59, started to feel unwell in December 2022.
He initially dismissed it but during Christmas week he started with a fever and was shaking, so his wife called 111 and he was sent to A&E at Northern General Hospital.
Tests showed his blood counts were "on the floor" and he was taken to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia on New Year's Day 2023.
Ashley went through months of chemotherapy and on May 16, 2023, underwent a stem cell transplant and is now in recovery.
Ashley, now a patient transport worker, from Hillsborough, Sheffield,said: “I thought I’d just had a bad cold, and I’d even carried on working. Whilst I was at home, I started a fever and was shaking, so my wife called 111.
"It was Christmas week, and the walk-in was shut, so we were sent to A&E. When I got there, I collapsed, and tests showed all my healthy blood counts were on the floor. I had absolutely no idea.”
In the ensuing months, he underwent several rounds of gruelling chemotherapy, losing his hair, and remaining as an inpatient for seven weeks before being given the all-clear to continue to receive his ongoing treatment as an ambulatory care patient.
Thanks to the generosity of a stranger, he received his life-saving stem cell transplant on the May 16, his daughter’s birthday.
“I had side effects like sickness, diarrhoea and tiredness throughout my chemotherapy, and a nasty rash during my transplant, and I lost all my hair which affected me much more than I thought it would," Ashley said.
"But the haematology team were superstars, and I had so much gratitude, and that’s when I decided I wanted to do something more worthwhile with my life.”
A few months after his transplant, he was well enough to go back to work as a lorry driver on a part-time basis and it was here that he spotted a job as a non-emergency patient transport worker.
He now helps transport disabled, elderly, sick or vulnerable people to and from outpatient clinics, day care centres and routine hospital admissions.
Three years on, he remains cancer-free and continues to enjoy the job.
Ashley said: “I really enjoy getting people home and talking to people.
“One of the best things was when I first went back up to the O2 day ward in my job rather than as a patient and I saw one of the nurses that treated me there.
“To be there and to be better and doing something for others, it meant so much.
“Everybody and everyone in the hospital team have been absolutely brilliant. I can't thank them enough.”
Around 3,100 people are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in the UK every year. A stem cell transplant is often the only hope of a cure.
Dr Alex Kanellopoulos, Consultant Haematologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Sheffield is a major centre for stem cell transplantation and everyone here is so proud of Ashley and all he has achieved following treatment.
"Although treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia have remained largely unchanged for the last few decades, there have been significant breakthroughs in recent years, including genetic techniques which allow us to track DNA changes and patient-specific markers of the disease in the blood and bone marrow, improving outcomes. New maintenance therapies have also helped to lower the risk of relapse.”