24 Feb 2026

“I know I am lucky compared to people with other types of cancer but CLL is hard in different ways, it’s treatable but not curable.”

Maria with her work colleague

“I had at least three different infections in the end of 2023 and into 2024 which I now realise were the start of it,” said Maria, 50, who lives in Bournemouth and works as a Discharge Coordinator at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. “In August 2021 I had had my gallbladder removed and two years after that had blood tests as part of the follow-up. I now know my leukaemia was showing then but at the time it was put down to having an infection, and I do understand that it can be very difficult to diagnose.

“I had fatigue and was always under the weather but put it down to the perimenopause. But in June 2025 my daughter Vitoria said to me ‘Mum you’re snoring a lot at the moment’. I thought I had another respiratory infection but also started to find I had difficulty swallowing so I went to the GP. I asked for a blood test as the last one was done in 2023. Walking home from work on the day I had my blood taken I got a text from the GP saying that I needed to contact them ASAP for another appointment and that if I felt unwell I should go to A&E or call 111/999. One moment I thought I was in perimenopause and the next I’m being told to go to A&E. That was definitely a shock and the first time I knew something was seriously wrong.”

The GP booked another round of blood tests and then put Maria onto the fast-track referral pathway for a hospital appointment in the ENT department.

“Within two weeks they sent me to see the ENT consultant Emma King at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital who was absolutely brilliant. I knew her before at work and was so grateful to be seen by her. She confirmed my tonsils were very enlarged despite a couple of rounds of antibiotics. She booked me in for everything test-wise. MRI, PET scan, and a tonsil biopsy under anaesthetic. At that point she thought it was lymphoma.”

In July 2025 it was confirmed that Maria had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic leukaemia (SLL). These are now recognised as different presentations of the same blood cancer and are often referred to collectively as CLL/SLL. But previously SLL referred to abnormal B-cells being mostly in the lymph nodes and spleen, with CLL affecting the blood and bone marrow. Over 4720 people are diagnosed every year, over 40% in the over-75 age range.

“I think when someone drops that word leukaemia – it is very hard. I didn’t know anything about haematology as I work on the gastroenterology ward. Within six months I learnt so much about blood cancers and how very complex it all is.

Maria with her family

“It was hard telling my daughter who was 17 at the time. My husband Decio is very practical and positive and doesn’t show his emotions, but asked about treatment and encouraged me to just go for it with everything they could offer me. My Mum is still in Portugal and it was difficult telling her. In fact it’s difficult telling everyone, even close friends. You never quite know how to start that conversation and tell them you have been diagnosed with cancer. They want to know all the details and you don’t have them – you never know what the next step is with CLL.”

Maria took a month off in August to undergo radiotherapy treatment on her lymph nodes.

“I was trying to pretend it wasn’t happening and carrying on as usual but I found myself being emotional every day. The GP told me that I needed some time off not only to have the radiotherapy but to come to terms with it all. Once I’d got through that it was September and I signed up for Leukaemia UK’s mile-a-day walking challenge. I ended up raising over £1000 and it really helped me recover. I did the walk with various friends and if I was really tired I’d just walk round the neighbourhood. It helped me see people as sometimes all I do is stay at home and not see anyone, even now. The other thing that’s helped with that is the CLL patient group which is run online by Leukaemia Care.”

Maria is now waiting for the next full set of tests which she will have in March 2026. Doctors have said to her she may need chemotherapy.

“There was a slight improvement in my bloods when I had them tested in December. I’m being closely monitored and in March they will decide if I need chemo. The waiting is hard – I know this is a big part of CLL. I find I’m checking my lymph nodes and although I try and put it out of my mind most of the time it’s there sometimes.

“It’s also hard working in a hospital and being a patient as well. I had to have my radiotherapy at Poole Hospital where I used to work and saw some of my old colleagues. Of course they wanted to know what I was doing there and I don’t want to lie to them so I told them. They were very supportive but I really don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me.

Maria with her daughter and sister in Portugal.

“Some days are a bit more challenging than others. I get bad exhaustion. But if I am feeling tired I am now taking five minutes and rest, I don’t push myself anymore. One thing that’s hard is looking well. People think I don’t look like I have cancer, but I want to keep as normal as possible so I keep trying. I know I am lucky compared to people with other types of cancer but CLL is hard in different ways, it’s treatable but not curable.

“It was a shock for my family but they have been amazing. My daughter went with me to my radiotherapy, and insisted that I rang the bell on the last day. Even if it was just a short period, it marked the end of my first treatment. She decorated the mask I had for radiotherapy with flowers and butterflies and I’ve put it in our garden. It’s a reminder of my diagnosis, transformed into something beautiful. It’s not the end but it was the end of that stage.”