In England, an engineer thought he had Covid long after contracting the virus. But in reality, he was suffering from acute myeloid leukemia.
- Adults with acute myeloid leukemia may be tired or pale and easily bruise and bleed.
- With appropriate treatment, 20 to 40% of patients have a life expectancy of at least 5 years without any relapse.
In February 2021, Rob Hale, a 33-year-old Briton, was infected with the coronavirus. As the weeks went by, the engineer realized that the symptoms of Covid-19, including night sweats, fever and fatigue, persisted. Thus, he thought he had a long Covid. But on April 23, 2021, the diagnosis falls. The resident of Thornbury, in the south of the county of Gloucestershire, learns, at his place of work, that he has acute myeloid leukaemia.
Acute myeloid leukemia: when the diagnosis was announced, “I started crying”
It’s about a “a life-threatening disease in which cells that normally develop into white blood cells called neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils and monocytes, become cancerous and rapidly replace normal bone marrow cells”, can we read on the website of the MSD Manual.
According to The Independentthe thirty-something was baffled and upset after this announcement. “My mind started racing. I didn’t really take in what they were telling me. When the phone call ended, I remember leaning over the device I was working on and I started crying”, he said. The patient quickly notified his relatives, including his parents and his sister.
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell transplantation
Around 10 days after the diagnosis, Rob Hale was admitted to the Bristol Royal Infirmary. He stated to be “very close to death”, because the blast cells in his blood, namely abnormal white blood cells, made up 95% of the cells at that time. The Briton remained in hospital for the next four months. He performed blood tests, scans and electrocardiograms (ECGs) and was fitted with a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), which allowed doctors access to veins near his heart.
The engineer also received chemotherapy, as well as eight sessions of radiotherapy and a stem cell transplant. He survived the first round of chemotherapy well. On the other hand, the second series caused him several side effects. It took him 80 days to recover, as during that time the Briton contracted infections.
“I ended up accepting that I was going to die of this disease”
During his treatment, doctors discovered that the tumor had spread to his central nervous system. “They all thought I only had a few days left to live”, the patient recalled. But despite doctors’ fears, Rob Hale survived and remained under observation for about 60 days before returning home. During the following months, he had to make regular hospital stays for check-ups and blood transfusions.
A few weeks later, the resident of Thornbury notices that lumps have formed in his testicles. After an ultrasound, he learns, on December 16, that the cancer had returned and that his leukemia was in the terminal phase. “I ended up accepting that I was going to die of this disease”, did he declare. From now on, the thirty-something takes “every day as it comes” and hope “to reach the end of April to celebrate her niece’s second birthday”.
