20 Mar 2026

“I was dismissed, belittled and treated like a nuisance.”

Jade Horsman pre diagnosis

Seven months of GP appointments, calls to 999 and three tips to A&E saw Jade Horsman being continually misdiagnosed and sent away before she was finally told she had leukaemia. She first went to the GP in September 2020 with constant fatigue, flu-like symptoms and generally feeling unwell, but was told it was nothing to worry about.

“Then I developed a tooth infection and fever,” remembers Jade, 34, who lives in West London and works at a software company. “The dentist said it was “one of the worst infections I have ever seen, how are you functioning?”. I had never had any dental issues before. In fact, I’d rarely taken a sick day and had never been to hospital before. I was very fit; exercising regularly and eating well had always been central to my life. The dentist gave me antibiotics but at the end of the course the symptoms returned. I had three courses almost back-to-back, but they didn’t work.

“Eventually I had a complete breakdown. I was physically and emotionally drained, unable to cope, and took two weeks off work. There was no improvement, so I was signed off with ‘burnout’ and took another two months off but never recovered. I even changed jobs, thinking perhaps stress was to blame.

“My symptoms still continued to worsen – night sweats, headaches, fevers, and overwhelming exhaustion. My GP suggested it might be hormonal. I was 29 at the time and knew this wasn’t right.

“Then my condition deteriorated quickly, leaving me with no ability to function or care for myself. I gave up on the GP and went to A&E for the first time, only to be told it was a sinus infection and given more antibiotics. At this point I sent my border terrier puppy to a month-long training school because I didn’t have the energy to look after him. It had always been my dream to have a dog and go running and hiking together, and I only had him for four weeks.

Jade on the day of being admitted to hospital

“When nothing improved, I went back to A&E a week later. This time I was given what felt like a psychiatrist exam, told again that it was nothing serious, and sent home with the reassurance that the antibiotics would “kick in soon”.

“A few days later, I woke up drenched in sweat and shivering so badly that I had to shower in the middle of the night instead of changing pyjamas as I had done regularly for the past few months. I collapsed in the shower and didn’t have the strength to get out or turn off the water. Eventually I managed to crawl to my phone and called 999. I was told to ring 111 in the morning. I went to bed thinking I wouldn’t wake up.

“However I did wake up, called 111 as instructed and they sent an ambulance. The paramedics asked me if I had been drinking. They gave me a paper slip with “headache” written as the diagnosis and “aspirin” as the treatment.

“I knew I had more than a headache, I knew something was very, very wrong with me. I waited for them to leave and took myself back to A&E for the third time. Fortunately, I lived just five minutes from Charing Cross Hospital as by that time I could barely walk. I was recognised at the front desk and asked why I was back again. I broke down crying and begged for a blood test which thankfully was taken. The doctor told me again to wait for the antibiotics to work, because it could take up to eight weeks. I thought I couldn’t get through potentially another six weeks of living like this. Again, I broke down and asked about my blood results. He wasn’t aware I’d had blood taken, rolled his eyes and told me: “OK we might as well wait for the results”.

“About 30 minutes later, several staff members rushed into the waiting room with a wheelchair. Suddenly it was like being in a hospital TV drama, I was surrounded by people and being given numerous tests. They told me I had sepsis and I was blue-lighted to Hammersmith Hospital where I was admitted to the haematology ward. This was on the Friday afternoon. A bone marrow biopsy was scheduled the following Tuesday. My family were told to come to the hospital, so my mum and brother drove down from Suffolk. At that point I knew it was serious.”

Jade during treatment

On Tuesday 23rd March 2021 Jade was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (B-cell ALL), aged 29. This rare type of leukaemia is most common in children and older people – 65% of cases are in under-25s and 13% in the over-60s. It is also most frequent in men (figures from NICE).

“Relief is not the primary emotion you would expect following a leukaemia diagnosis. But for me, it was. Relief that I was finally being taken seriously and being cared for.

“After that initial feeling, I think I just went into survival mode. My immediate concern was preserving my fertility. Within 30 minutes of hearing my diagnosis, I was wheeled to the fertility ward. I will never forget being sat in that waiting room in a hospital gown and wheelchair crying my eyes out alone. Unfortunately, the timings didn’t work out and we had no option but to start treatment because my condition was critical.”

Jade received nine month-long rounds of intensive chemotherapy and immunotherapy followed by two years of maintenance treatment.

“At times treatment was near daily and I spent multiple weeks as an inpatient both planned and unplanned due to infections or severe side effects. The longest period in hospital was the initial three months, which started the very same day the paramedics had diagnosed me as having a ‘headache’.

“It was so grueling at times I didn’t know if I had the strength physically or mentally to keep going, and sometimes I felt like a living science experiment. But my amazing family and friends DID keep me going. It must have been incredibility tough for them too. My family became my carers, my Dad flew from Switzerland to look after me and then my mum and brother lived in my flat caring for me for virtually a whole year. My friends kept me sane, messaging daily with normal life updates, even when I didn’t respond for weeks at a time, and leaving care packages and standing outside my windows with signs when I couldn’t have visitors. My best friend Sarah even ran the London Marathon in support of Leukaemia UK.”

Jade’s best friend ran a half marathon for blood cancer

Luckily Jade responded to chemotherapy from the beginning. But doctors urged her to have a stem cell transplant to reduce her chance of relapse.

“I did a lot of research and found out if I went down that route it would have a more detrimental impact on my fertility, whereas if I chose longer chemotherapy there was a chance I could still conceive. So that’s what I decided.

“My consultant at Hammersmith Hospital was very supportive. I trusted her, her opinion and her plan for my treatment. She was also incredibly kind and compassionate, respecting my wishes to try to preserve my fertility. On hard days she would tell me “This is a marathon not a sprint and I am your coach”. I’m also so grateful to the hospital nurses who looked after me and made me feel like a person, not a sick patient.”

Jade finished her maintenance treatment in December 2023.

Jade going home for the first time in 3 months on wheelchair with her dad

“I live a normal life but a reduced one. It took a long time to return to work and I am still nowhere near the level of fitness I had before. I focus on pilates and yoga which have helped me rebuild my body. I am still very mindful of not overdoing it with social plans, avoiding over stimulating situations and preferring to spend meaningful time with close friends and family.”

Happily, Jade’s life has entered an exciting new chapter. She met her partner at the end of her maintenance phase of her treatment and the couple now live together with their two dogs in London.

Jade post treatment on holiday with her boyfriend

“I never thought I’d have a romantic relationship again. I struggled with the body confidence issues that often come with cancer – weight fluctuations, hair loss, steroid face, and even being mistaken for a man multiple times. That’s tough when you’re 30. I told him what I had been through early on, and he’s been incredibly supportive. I hope we can try for a family one day.

“The contrast in the care I received after my diagnosis, compared to the terrible experience I had with the health service to get to that point, could not have been greater. When I look back at my extended battle for a diagnosis, I feel so angry. I was dismissed, belittled and treated like a nuisance, when in reality I was critically ill. It has really stuck with me how hard I had to fight just to be heard.

“I had every privilege on my side. I am white British, educated and work in the corporate world. I had the confidence and ability to keep pushing even when I was at my weakest. I worry for those who can’t advocate for themselves – what happens to them?

“Now I just want to live a normal life with the people I love. But I am also committed to raising awareness and advocating for change so that other people are listened to sooner, and don’t have to go through what I did.”