Long-term supporter of Cure Leukaemia, Debbie Riley, recently held a fundraising ball to help raise funds for the charity once again.

Debbie is a patient of Professor Charlie Craddock CBE and has been treated at the Centre for Clinical Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital since being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia back in 2016.

She was treated with a course of high-intensity chemotherapy appointments before receiving a stem cell transplant. Due to her genetic markers, her leukaemia classified her as being at a higher risk of relapse despite her managing to get into remission. This allowed her to be enrolled in a clinical trial through Cure Leukaemia’s support, which tested a new condition treated that prepared her bone marrow and blood system for the transplant and compared the results to standard treatment.

Over 200 people flocked to the Albright Hussey Hotel in Shrewsbury on Saturday with proceeds donated to both Cure Leukaemia and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Speaking to Debbie after the event, she was over the moon with the support from her friends, family and the local community.

“There is so much I could say about Cure Leukaemia and about how they saved me. I know how much Charlie, James and their team are so dedicated to the blood cancer community. Over the years, I have tried to support them in any way that I can and my husband has joined in by completing the London 2 Paris cycle in 2017. I have a plaque on the wall in the hospital, which reads “Forever Grateful “ and that says it all.

“Saturday was an amazing night, and I would like to thank all of the people that came and the local businesses that gave so generously for our raffle.

“The figure is roughly £10.000 between the 2 charities which is fantastic and certainly more than we expected!” 

“Being involved in clinical trials is very important to me, as it’s only through research that we will find out how to cure this horrible disease. Only one in 10 stem cell transplant patients in the UK is on a clinical trial. It’s shocking to think that the NHS spends tens of millions of pounds on stem cell transplants each year, but we don’t know much more about why they work for some people but not others, than we did 20 years ago.”

“That’s why I’m keen to encourage as many people as possible to go on trials and to support Cure Leukaemia who fund the doctors, nurses and facilities needed to do research.”