About Us

Our history

Leukaemia UK was founded in 1977 by Derek Mitchell after his wife Isobel was treated for leukaemia at King's College Hospital in London. Originally named The Elimination of Leukaemia Fund, the charity supported the work of King's haematology department but grew to be able to offer grants to blood cancer specialists in hospitals across the UK.

Over the last 40 years we have helped to make groundbreaking changes to blood cancer care. Less than three decades ago, there were no beds dedicated to the care of leukaemia patients at King's and its haematology department was on the brink of closure.

Now, thanks to Leukaemia UK, there are four specialist blood cancer wards at King's, including the superb Leukaemia Treatment Suite which, fittingly, is named after our founder, Derek Mitchell.

Read more about our history here.

Our charity today

Many of the changes to blood cancer care pioneered by Leukaemia UK with King's are now routinely used by hospitals across the country.

Today Leukaemia UK is proud to be making a difference to people living with blood cancer by:

Funding essential emotional support
Offering vital help to ease financial worries
Funding innovative and effective research into better care and treatments for leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood disorders.
Working closely with hospitals and clinicians to improve care, including funding additional staff, paying for ward and room refurbishments and buying new blood cancer care equipment.

Thanks to the generous support of individual fundraisers, payroll givers and family trusts, Leukaemia UK has made a significant and lasting difference to leukaemia treatment in the UK.

Leukaemia UK relies entirely on your voluntary donations. Find out how to support us continue our important work.

Latest

Joe Lemer's Cotswold Way Challenge

It would be great to help and support others in similar circumstances suffering with these diseases and to help support continued research.

I'm taking on an endurance challenge to walk the 100K route of the Cotswold Way from Bath to Cheltenham. Starting on Saturday June 30th at 9am we will walk continuously for approximately 26 hours to complete the challenge!
Chairman's Golf Day 2018 - Thank you

We are grateful to those who attended Leukaemia UK's Annual Chairman's Golf Day on May 4, helping raise £8,000 for Leukaemia UK.
Anika

Anika was seven months pregnant with her second daughter when she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She describes how her close family, specialist counselling and her faith have given her the strength to face up to her cancer.
Adam

When Adam, 31, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma he put his faith in his medical team and tackled his condition one chemotherapy session at a time. But mentally he was squaring up for a second challenge – how to cope with losing his hair.