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Nurse's Fatigue Hides Aggressive Cancer Battle
20 Jan
Summary
- Persistent fatigue and cough masked aggressive leukemia diagnosis.
- Diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia occurred in December 2025.
- Family history includes multiple cancer diagnoses.
Emilia Shaw, a nurse from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, experienced persistent fatigue throughout the summer of 2025, attributing it to her demanding work shifts. By October, she developed a continuous cough, worsening exhaustion, severe headaches, bleeding gums, and unusually heavy periods. A blood test in December 2025 revealed dangerously high white blood cell counts and low red blood cells and platelets.
On December 9, 2025, Emilia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood and bone marrow cancer. She has since completed her initial chemotherapy course at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and is preparing for a second round. A stem cell transplant is necessary to replace her damaged blood-forming stem cells.
The diagnosis comes amidst a challenging period for her family, with her mother having battled breast cancer and her father living with chronic leukemia. Emilia is hopeful a compatible donor will be found, potentially at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she once worked as a nurse. She and her family are collaborating with DKMS to encourage stem cell donor registrations.
